Ghosts of Our Past
by Shy Rebel
Summary: The daughter of Morpheus cannot sleep. The son of Hades is stopping death. The daughter of Zeus lacks a spark of motivation. The son of Aphrodite is overlooked. They need to wake up. Feel alive. Shock the world. Face their pasts. And manage to stay sane. All while stopping the world from extinction. That's the life of the demigods, I suppose.
1. Prologue: Life As We Knew It

**Author Note (which you probably won't read, honestly :P ): **All right folks, this story includes my self-made OCs and Nico! Just so you know, just pretend the Roman camp thing never happened, because it has no part in the story!

This is rated T because it has some serious things such as mental issues and mild cursing. If you have depression, suicidal ideation, etc., please think twice before reading. I'd never want this to be triggering, and it will never encourage or beautify these actions. Stay strong!

I know this is being released the day before HOH. Not the best timing. I think the story will carry on without change though after it's out.

Oh, and I'm only going to say this once: I do not own the PJO series.

Okay, let the story begin! I know it's not amazing, but it'll get better! Enjoy!

* * *

**Rilo Ward**

_ "Wake up!" Mother screamed harshly. Phones rang everywhere. _

_I didn't move. I didn't want to 'wake up'. Sleep was peaceful. Sleep was fake. Sleep was an escape._

_"You can't hide from reality forever, Rilo!" she screeched. Real life was muddled. Real life was phone calls of people wanting to die, and needing you to have the answer. I didn't have the answer. Mother operated a nonprofit hotline for suicidal people. They could call to change their ending. We didn't get a lot of money from her job, but she loved it. And though I didn't take well to the bleak-ness of it all, I tried to love it too._

_I lied there, asleep, but the dreams were suddenly not in my control. I'd been able to manipulate my world within sleep. That would be no more. My beautiful land I'd created turned to night. But was the night ugly? _

_Someone interrupted the silence's speech. "Hello, my daughter."_

_It took me time to react. I thought too much to move at all, for a while. "I-I don't have a dad." I said, shrinking back. _

_The dark shady figure chuckled. He was hard to see, aside from his white teeth, and his pale skin. If I squinted, he looked like the waning moon. "Everyone has a dad. I'm afraid I am yours. And you have disappointed me, using your power to run, Rilo._

_"My power?" I questioned meekly. Questions…I had so many questions._

_"From now on, you cannot sleep. Not unless you steal someone else's dreams, and cause a nightmare."_

_He started to walk away, but then I called out, "Wait! Who are you? What are you?" He kept getting farther and farther away. It was like the moon was doing down, but the sun was refusing to rise. "What's your name!?"_

_"….Morpheus."_

_Mother didn't have to wake me up. He did. _

* * *

I was awake, but not really. You know what it's like, perhaps, to feel groggy. Think of Monday morning, where you didn't plan ahead, stayed up late, and then woke up with only two hours of sleep. Multiply that by 12.48. That was me, me six years later, after my world died with my sleep. It was such a wretched loss.

I didn't know who I really I was, what I was, but I knew I was not human. Long ago, I'd searched 'Morpheus' of the Internet. The name was the same as a Greek God, but I thought that was a coincidence. That night though, I learned that nothing was an accident.

I rose from my lumpy bed, and clumsily put on a wool sweater over my night down. I needed to move. I needed to move away from where I was in my head. I'd take a walk. I couldn't sleep anyway. I heard the bustle of New York. It didn't sleep either.

I found the cemetery, bare feet in mud. Was this place was lonely like me? I read every grave, and left a tiny daisy at each. I'd remember them. Then there was a tombstone I recognized. _Bianca di Angelo_. I could here sound. _Boom, boom, boom. _It was my heart. Then it faltered. Then it went to a faster beat. Bianca. She used to be my best friend, my only friend. She'd one day vanished without a trace, but no one remembered her. I'd started to trust that she'd never existed at all. She was real? She was _dead_?

The world started spinning. It wasn't over though. It was never over. A man was flying with…tennis shoes that had wings. Was he crazy, or was I? "Hi!" he waved.

"H-hello."

"Ah ha! You can see me! So you _are _a demigod!"

"Erm…what?" I couldn't follow.

"Oh, never mind! Here!" He handed me a letter. "Sorry, this is a little late. Should of given it to you three years ago!"

Then he was gone. The stars were far away, but I could still see them. I couldn't see him. Had he really flew farther than the stars?

I wanted tear up the envelope, and never look inside. I didn't want to know. The truth was a brutal thing. But I opened the faded note anyway.

_Rilo,_

_Protect my brother. You're in for a rude awakening. Then go to camp. Stay Strong. _

_Your friend, Biana_

I looked at the gravestone, and thought endless thoughts. How? What? When? Where? _Why? _

I did not understand her words. Her brother? (I vaguely remembered a happy-go-lucky little boy. Was his name…Nicholas?) An awakening? Camp? I was interrupted when something fell to my side. Glasses. The glass was foggy, like my world was. Why was it so chilly out in the summer? I turned the paper over, smoothening the creases. It had many scars. I couldn't blame it. It was old.

_P.S. Use the glasses. You'll see ghosts, even ones that were already reborn. Their spirit remains._

That's when I went back to my old ways. I wanted peace. I wanted fake. I wanted escape. While someone was going to have a nightmare, _I _was going to sleep. I wanted to forget. The last words I heard were my fathers.

_You coward._

* * *

**Nico di Angelo**

_I was in the hospital? Why was I in the hospital!? _

_If you are imagining crisp white sheets and cleanliness, you are wrong._

_The air was so clouded with dust, that it was hard to breath. People were talking in foreign languages (not that it mattered. I don't understand normal English people anyway.). There were cries of agony of men and women with limbs gone. There was the unmistakable smell of death. This was a military base._

_All right, this was a dream, definitely a dream. _

_Everyone was surrounding someone. Naturally, I wanted to go the other way, away from the people, but I went toward the chatter anyway. Before I got there, I could hear crying. This was nothing new, but it was _baby _crying. Then I heard, 'quick, pick it up!'._

_I felt a wave of nausea. Look, I have nothing against small kids, even if most of them are scared of me. I just wasn't into watching childbirth. The little baby girl was wrapped in blanket though before I could turn, and our eyes met. They were dark, almost black, just like Bianca's._

_I remembered how my sister said she was going to be reborn after death. I still resented her for that. Now I could never see her. Not that I wanted to. Was this her though, this kid in the middle of nowhere? I didn't know how to feel. I'd rather of not known. Now I'd always be wondering. I felt a mixture of complete anger and wanting to ignore her, as well as wanting to cheer like the little brother that I'd thought died inside me long ago._

_I was wrong. This was no dream. This was a nightmare._

_I reached out. "Bian-"_

* * *

"Bianca!" I didn't see my sister though. I saw the dark wood of the ceiling in the Hades cabin. The light of the morning made me squint, and I groaned. This was supposed to be the place that I felt I belonged, but I didn't belong anywhere. The only place that had ever been home, as cliché as it sounded was with my sister, and she was dead.

I just wanted to stay in bed, I felt like I'd gotten no sleep. In fact, I felt more drained than before. But I got up. I remembered there was something I had to do today. There was a minor obstacle though: Nixon Chadwick.

I was able to get up the hill (it was tiring. Why can't all ground be flat?), and almost past the camp boundary, but there he was, arms crossed. "Where do you think you're going, death breath?" Nixon questioned.

"Away from here." I said vaguely, wary.

"Aw, is someone sad that nobody likes him?" he antagonized, as if talking to a child.

"Yeah," I nodded, my voice in monotone, face expressionless. "Just look at me. I'm devastated."

He was supposedly handsome, but I didn't buy it. He looked twisted to me. Everything about him shined too brightly. It wasn't in the intent to keep you warm though; it was to keep you blind. He pushed back some of his coppery hair, which mind you, was completely pointless. It was pretty short. His golden brown eyes gleamed like a crow's. He cackled like one too, Yeah, did I mention he was son of Aphrodite? Fitting, I know. "You'll never be what your sister was!" he told me "Not even your father loves you!"

Nixon kept saying low blows, reminding me what I already knew. I just kept walking. Once I was a fair distance away, I shadow traveled. I could of done it back there, but I didn't like doing it in front of everybody. That was liked announcing I was son of Hades. Maybe wearing all black gave them the clue, but I would not change for them.

I ended up in a park, and for the second time that day, I heard crying. The rain had just been sprinkling, but now came down on full blast. "Dammit, dad! I hate you! I _hate _you!"

I cursed. I thought I'd thrown away all the razors. I took out the nectar. I had a plan, but I could feel her life fading (aren't Hades powers great?). I was running out of time.

* * *

**Regina Abelle**

_"Why don't you just go die!?" my mom yelled._

_"Why don't _you_!?_" _I shrieked, and slammed the front door._

_There was a storm, but I ran and didn't feel cold at all. I screamed at God for having me birthed by that devil of a woman. That day though, I figured out there was no God. There were only gods and goddesses. _

_I had a breakdown of sorts. Once I was done pulverizing a mailbox and knocking down a stop sign, I breathed hard. Crap. I had to get home before the rehab center came and took my mom away. I hated her, but she was all I had. I needed to hide her._

_By the time I got home, police cars were already in the driveway. I thought this was it. She'd be gone for months. I'd be put in a foster home. I was scared. That's right. _Me. _Scared. I made my way to my door, but the police stopped me. "I wouldn't go in there, ma'am." _

_I was about to push past them, for I didn't listen to authority, but what I saw stopped me. There was only a single light on in our house, and I looked through that window. I wish every day that I hadn't. Why do I remember all the bad memories, and none of the good? Someone was floating. No, hanging. My mom. She'd went and died, committed suicide. Just like I'd asked. Realization hit, and I turned, and ran and ran and ran. I started talking in ear-piercing cries, and punched the earth. In a puddle on the ground, I saw my face, and something flash on my forehead, a lightning bolt. I was so out of sorts, I couldn't even make a reference to Harry Potter. Then I heard a voice in my head. "I am Zeus, king of the Gods, and your father. There is somewhere you can go, be safe, find friends." He did this whole pitch about camp half blood. Arrogant much?_

_It was too late though. Where had he been all these years!? I refused to go, just to anger him._

_Mom was dead. I tried to blame it on him. But it was all my fault. _

* * *

"You wanted this to happen. You got your wish! You killed her!" Thanks a lot, Grandma. She pointed a witch-like finger at me. It was the three year anniversary of mom's death. It was her lucky day though, for today would be the day I'd die too. Congratulations.

I made it to the park. I was numb, and done, and if you're laughing about how that rhymed, please do me a favor: shut up. I went behind the brush, searching for the weapon to carry out my…uh, self-assassination. The razors, the razors…where were the razors? Freaking gone, that's where. I didn't get why they were gone, how they were gone, but I didn't have time to question it. I had an extra.

Death is not as peaceful as you think. I was frantic. I cut my forearm, long, deep, painful. No one wanted to die. They just felt like they need to. I think I was screaming in agony, but I wasn't sure. It'd be over soon. That's what I'd believed. But then…it started raining. It was sunny, clear as day, and raining. And it was healing my wound.

'No.' I thought. "You have to be kidding me. Dammit dad! I hate you! I _hate _you!"

The spots that had been flashing before my eyes like I was going to pass out were slowing, but I still couldn't see much. I heard footsteps though. 'Here we go. They will call 9-1-1 and I'll live.' The thought was terrifying. Instead a boy's voice said, "Drink this. You'll die faster."

And I did. I know, I know, not smart. It could have been drugs or poison, I'd realized at the last minute. Nope. Nectar. Instead of dying, things got clearer and crisper. My cut was still bleeding, but instead of like a waterfall, it was like the dang lazy river.

I was livid. I was exhausted too though.

The boy's face was coming into view now. Clearly he was obsessed black or something, he looked concerned, and just like a generally annoying person. "Are you okay?" he asked.

He'd just made my live. Of course I wasn't _okay. _I didn't want to owe him an explanation though. "Fine." I said coldly.

"I'm going to take you somewhere." He said, seeming sort of uncomfortable. "I'm going to take you-"

"To camp half blood?" I finished for him.

He looked alarmed, but nodded. Looks like it wasn't the end yet.

* * *

**Nixon Chadwick**

Hey, no fair! I don't get some dramatic intro in italics?! Gee, thanks. Now I feel important. So allow me to be nice and actually introduce myself, unlike the others. I'm Nixon, not to be associated with reindeers. Though I'm sure I could make your Christmas wishes come true, ladies. As dead-head said, I'm son of Aphrodite, which instantly makes me hot. Some people think I'm a bastard, but they're just jealous.

I'm pretty interesting. I'm surprised this book doesn't just have my point of view. Your loss, I guess. So back to the story! Di Angelo was leading this chick up the hill. Look, I didn't bully him. I smartly pushed his buttons.

Like right then: "Whoa, I never thought I'd see the day! Nico with a girl that wasn't dead!" I noticed. It made more sense, however, that he was with a girl that looked like a punk drowned cat. Her dark makeup was running, her cherry red hair (clearly dyed) drenched. I couldn't help but notice appearances first thing. It was in my blood.

"Try accessing the surroundings. Maybe then you'd notice she's bleeding to death." Nico said darkly.

"You're right for once!" I didn't have to call for anyone because people automatically were surrounding her. Apollo kids started to heal her as Nico filled Chiron in that he found a demigod. The suspicious thing is all-black-everything guy kept answering questions for her.

"Do we know who her Godly Parent is?" the centaur asked.

Emo Boy: "…Ares."

"How did she get hurt?"

Mystery girl who seemed to be sarcastic but too tired to show it in her voice: "A cat."

Emo boy says at the same time: "A monster."

Commotion died and the three of us were left standing there. Mystery girl looked angry. Actually, it wasn't directed at me. It was at Nico. She got straight to the point. "Why did you lie? My dad is Zeus and-"

I'd been completely uninterested in the conversation until then. I chocked on my own saliva. I'm sure I somehow made it sexy though. "This chick is part of the big three? Seriously? Couldn't they get someone more heroic looking?"

Nico looked annoyed. Didn't gloom ever get boring for him? "…Why are you even still here?"

"Why are you even still alive?" I retorted.

_Zap. _I was scorched with lightning. "Sorry. That happens when I'm angry." Mystery girl said with a false sweet smile. Her voice, however, was dark and hollow.

"Look, we don't need everyone knowing that you're daughter of Zeus." Nico explained. "It sucks, everyone looks at you weird."

It was so annoying how he thought his life was bad for having important parents. He had it easier than me. He just didn't know it. "I think people just look at you weird because you're you." I pointed out.

"Shut up. And don't tell anyone."

"Not that I care, but what are your names?" the chick asked, examining her grey nail polish.

"Nixon, hot guy extraordinaire." I introduced myself, bowing jokingly.

"And he's the jack-ass supreme." Di Angelo added. "Oh, and I'm Nico, son of…never mind."

"Fine." She crossed her arms, which weren't fat, but certainly not toothpick skinny. "Regina Abelle,'' she said shortly.

She glowered and walked off, and I smiled charmingly. "Nice to meet you too!" Then I knuckle sandwiched Nico. We didn't know what was yet to come.

* * *

**Did you like it? Hate it? Review/favorite it to let me know!**


	2. Chapter 1: The Adventure No One Wanted

**Author's Note: If you haven't read the author's note in the previous chapter, I'd do so to avoid feeling greatly confused. And if you haven't read the first chapter, edited with the new OC, I'd read that as well. Thank you!**

So you've done that? Great! Sorry for the inconvenience! Rick Riordan is just the king of plot twists haha. This chapter will be guest starring Ferdinand! Remember him? He was from _The Lightning Thief. _He was Grover's uncle who was turned into stone by Medusa. Sound familiar? Anyway, read on!

* * *

**Rilo Ward**

I thought mother would be sad. However, when I tiptoed into our tiny apartment that morning, she showed no emotion. She was silent. I was not. Everything came out of my mouth without control, without reason. "My dad is weird, and there was a mailman that could fly, and my best friend died, and ghosts, and help, and-"

"Calm down." Mother cut me off, her voice frozen over and strict. She did not ask what I could possibly mean. She did not ask where I'd been. She asked, "Does this mean that you know?"

I paused. "I do not know what I am supposed to know. I know there is a camp. I know I am not human. I know my dad's name is Morpheus. I know a friend of a friend is in trouble. I know I'm scared."

Her eyes narrowed. "Do you want your father to be right!? Do you want him to think I raised a coward!?"

I swallowed hard. "How did you-"

"You know enough. Obey your friend. You are part of Greek Mythology." Mother handed out a purse to me, taking my boney hand and forcefully closing my pale fingers around it. The carrier looked like a potato sack. "This has all that you need." She explained. "I knew that this day would come. Go now."

My mother was not one to display much warmth. There was no 'I love you' or 'stay safe'. There was no hug. Her expression was just like stone, like the stories she used to tell me of Medusa. I'd thought mother would be sad, but I was glad she wasn't. It hurt though too, that she seemed unconcerned. I was marching off to my death with a single note and a potato sack satchel, and she didn't seem to mind. I was not aware that once I was gone, she'd waited and waited and waited for my footsteps to fade. And then, finally, she had wept.

The note had said first to protect children of Hades. I would do what it said. I did not understand much, but I did not need to. I just needed to care.

I put on the glasses Bianca had given to me over my blue-grey eyes. I'd thought maybe it would clarify things, but in actuality, it just made me question my sanity more. _Click-clomp, click-clomp, click-clomp. _I met the brown eyes of a man with hooves. Unidentifiable noise drifted from my mouth. "Uh, eh, er, um, eep, ah," was all I could manage.

"Demigod!" he exclaimed and, erm, 'trotted' over to me. There was that word again. 'Demigod'.

I put a finger to my lips to silence him, my eyes like a deer's in headlights.

He chuckled. "No need to worry! They can't hear my words! I'm a ghost!" He 'comforted'. He said it so nonchalantly. "I'm Ferdinand, a satyr. My nephew saved the wild, for the record."

"…You must be very proud," I said softly, politely, though I had not the slightest idea what he was talking about. Was his nephew the Lorax? "I am Rilo. Is there anyway…you could help me?"

His expression turned to one of regret. " I failed last time to help those in need. I think I'm getting a second chance though! Let's do it!" I thought he seemed generous and wise. "Where do you need to go?" Ferdinand asked.

"It is more like…I need to find someone." I decided, fidgeting. "Their name…well, he or she would be a descendent of Hades. That's all I know." I was so desperately searching for someone, yet I didn't know who they were.

"You are not on your way to camp? You are looking for a mysterious child of Hades?" he mused. "I know one. He visits me sometimes. I'm afraid I have no way of getting you there to him. I can, however, help you get in touch with the boy." Ferdinand took out a golden coin, tossed it in a gutter, and said, "Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering. Show us Nico di Angelo." My eyes widened. How had I forgotten about Bianca's little brother?

I should have been planning for things to _not_ go as planned. In the view of the mist, I oddly saw a throne, with theatrical writing on a sign. It read, 'God of The Underworld'. So, of course, I assumed to see none other than the God of the Underworld. Instead, there was a beautiful woman.

"That's Aphrodite!" Ferdinand hissed, clearly as confused as myself.

She was talking to someone, crying, and devouring a pint of ice cream. "I can't believe he did this to me!" she sobbed. "I was way out of his league! And he dumped _me_? They'll pay though! All those nasty cheaters!"

Then I could see a pale boy hiding, eavesdropping in the shadows. The iris message really had gone through after all. Was it possible? Could this boy that appeared so dark and detached be the same person that followed Bianca blindly and played mythomagic avidly? Yes. It was Nico di Angelo. He saw us first, a flash of recognition in his expression. Something seemed to click in his head. Frowning, he wrote in the grass that died at his touch, 'FIND FLINT.' He knew something of the situation.

But what did he mean? Flint? As in fire creating rocks? As in a person? Was the question: what is that, or _who_ is that?

Hades came into view, conversing with Aphrodite, oblivious of our presence. "Get off my throne. Or this is war. "

"Love beats death, Uncle! I just need to borrow your powers!" Aphrodite pleaded.

The god of the Underworld sighed. "Get up. Now. Or else you-" he froze. "We're being watched." For a terrifying moment, I thought he had spotted Nico. His sight landed directly on Ferdinand and I though, his eyes not really eyes, but Greek fire. He saw us through the message. "Hello satyr. Half mortal." His voice was measured and cold. "Did you hear anything?"

I stared. Maybe I'd turn invisible. Ferdinand piped up, "Just a little, but we don't know what's going on, and-"

"So to make a long story short, you heard something. In that case…I will have to kill you both."

* * *

**Flint Shaden**

I guess I should of known. I should of known something bad was going to happen. Things had been getting too peaceful lately. Just when everyone got comfortable was always when someone turned the world upside down. Not someone I guess, more like some Olympian. I didn't bother trying to control or change my fate. I just tried to predict it. I didn't even see this one coming though.

The day started out deceivingly normal. Ares kids were picking a fight with me. I was taller than them, and more powerful, but they were stronger physically, and it's not like I was going to use Hades 'gifts'. I ignored them. I wasn't a coward. I just picked my battles wisely. If it was for the world, or for someone I cared about, or obviously to beat Nixon's face in with skeletons, I'd battle. But to fight for my pride with people that didn't know anything about me? That's a waste.

Clarisse walked through the crowd of her cabin members. That was the only redeeming factor about Ares kids: they stuck together. "Back off of the freak!" she yelled. She was just about the only one they'd listen to. "Flint," Clarisse said in an unnecessarily loud voice. "'I've got a job for you. Your rookie friend is refusing to get up and train. Move her." She started walking off. I almost thought she was being unusually nice that day, but then she added, "Oh, and don't be alarmed by her black eye. She's lucky I didn't kill her."

Typical. I didn't necessarily get why _I_ was the one that had to get her up, but whatever. I knew Regina hated me. She was hard to get along with too. A small part of me felt like I wanted to help her though. I was the only one who knew the actual situation. Just like how I was one of the few who knew Nico's reasons for hatred. And he didn't even mean to tell me that. I was failing to help him though. Maybe it'd be different with her.

I opened the door of the Ares cabin. I never thought I would walk in there willingly. The first thing she said in response to my courage: "Go away."

I'll admit, I wasn't around people very much. Just ghosts, and even with them, I wanted to be left alone. And I especially wasn't around girls. I was probably worse at talking to them than Percy Jackson. Is that sad or what? I just sat down on a bunk across from her.

"I mean it! Leave me alone!" she exclaimed. Well, this was going beautifully.

I shrugged indifferently. "Note to self: making friends isn't your forte. Got it." I sounded bored. I just didn't want her to know I cared or she'd run.

Regina looked like a train wreck. Not in a bad way, just…well, it was like she was about to self destruct, and you couldn't look away in morbid fascination, but you sort of felt like you should. She actually was a little eerie…in a different way than me. It was more in your face, like if you said the wrong thing, she'd probably kill you. No need to worry, because, you know, I'm such a smooth operator. I always say the perfect thing. _Right._

She sighed, maybe not having the energy to kick me out. Lucky me. Not really. "Why didn't you send me to the hospital or something anyway?" she asked, her hazel eyes framed with dark make up in an artistic fashion.

"I've been there before. They thought I was schizophrenic for the ghost seeing thing." I laughed bitterly. All the things that piled up from yesterday that I thought I'd handled so well were just hitting me now. "You can't cure insanity when they are the ones that don't see everything."

"So you're insane." She concluded. "How fitting."

"…Thanks."

"You threw away those razors at the park, didn't you?"

I swung my legs. ADHD, remember? I was vague. "Maybe." I wanted her to get mad, that was better than apathetic. It didn't work. I continued. "…You knew you were a demigod before all this happened, right?"

"Maybe." Regina responded in a mocking mimic.

We stared each other down. Or it was more like she was wondering how stupid I was, and I was trying to distract myself by guessing what shade of red her hair matched so I wouldn't seem intimidated. I decided on cheery soda.

It was silent for a while because I didn't talk much, and she wasn't in the mood to say anything. There was nothing to interrupt when there were shrieks outside. I looked around first. I'd like to think I have a bit more experience being a demigod, being alert. It didn't matter though because all we needed was to hear. "The oracle! A quest! Everyone!"

I should of known. I should of known something bad was going to happen.

* * *

**Regina Abelle**

Nope. Na-ah. I would not leave the cabin. That Clarisse girl had already punched me in the face for it, and there was no way I would back down now. Maybe my fatal flaw was stubborn-ness. Or rebellion. Or general hatred of everything. Or selfish-ness. Or…okay, now I'm making myself even more depressed.

Flint went pale. Maybe I'd get lucky and he'd pass out? He was so infuriating, asking questions, as if he had the right to get to know me after what he did. I mean _Flint _was the one that was a mysterious freak. Not me. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of a reaction. "C'mon." he urged, stern.

"No way. I don't want to, and you can't make-"

He literally dragged me out of the bunk. I still wasn't worried. Flint's behavior made it seem like even if someone dropped off a kitten named Snicker Doodle Streusel, he'd still treat it with the upmost caution. "No, no!" he'd yell. "Snicker Doodle Streusel could be plotting to destroy us! You can tell by the way it's playing with that daffodil. Pure evil." He was paranoid, and seemed about as carefree as a mourner at a funeral. He looked at everyone as if they could topple over and die at anytime.

I didn't get what was going on, protesting as he nearly pulled my shoulder out of its socket, dragging me along. This was _so _not appreciated. 'Quest' sounded like riding on unicorns (excuse me, pegasi) collecting fairy feathers (uh, harpy feathers maybe). It sounded like a simple adventure, happy and nauseatingly mushy.

I'm only going to say this once: I was wrong. I was way off. That became apparent as soon as I pushed through the crowd to see a girl with misty eyes. She looked possessed and such. "Uh…does she need help?" I questioned, clueless. Yes, I can occasionally be nice to people in the chaos of danger.

"Rookie, pipe down." Clarisse commanded. "Do you want another black eye?"

I raised an eyebrow. I could of brought up how she and Chris had been kissing half the night just to get back at her, but…nah.

The possessed redhead spoke.

_"Three will answer the call._

_A raven and a dove will brawl._

_A girl electrifies the world._

_Another sees behind the ghoul._

_The quest number with turn to four,_

_But which is rotten to the core?_

_The only way that they will win,_

_Is if they face their ghosts again._

_Stop the feud or dead will reap,_

_Nothing is what it now seems..."_

The oracle fell to the ground in a heap as others surrounded her, fanning her face.

That did not sound like rainbows and butterflies to me. There was shocked silence, and then the far more annoying chatter of gossip.

A short old guy in a Hawaiian shirt walked up, sipping a Coca-Cola. "Quiet, brats! Now, let's sort this out, shall we? Which one of you fools want to die first, and be out of my life?" I'd gotten a tour yesterday by someone named Katie Gardner. She told me all about him, Mr. D. He got a firm look from Chiron. "What? I'm just saying the truth. Few come back from quests alive."

Astonishingly, the boy of few words spoke first. Flint seemed two parts scared, one part resigned. "They referenced a raven, ghosts, and the dead. I'm not stupid. They're talking about me. I'll go, it's not like I have any other option." I was starting to think about how I felt bad for whoever wound up going with him.

"The oracle also mentioned a girl that will 'electrify the world'." An Athena kid piped up. "Daughter of Zeus, maybe?" Well, that just burst my bubble.

I heard people talk of someone named Thalia, a huntress. So that was my half sister? How much do you want to bet that it's better than having Clarisse as your fake sibling? I stayed quiet, and so did Creepy Boy. We didn't get along, but we seemed to agree not to tell anyone about my real father. I felt bad though. If the wrong person was sent on the quest, everyone could end up dead. No matter what my grandma said, I was no killer, not with my words, and certainly not with my actions. I was about to speak up, but was interrupted.

"Shut up!… Okay, would you quit it with the puns!?" It was Flint. When he raised his voice, it filled the room, or in this case, the flowery scenery. He was talking to a freaking patch of grass. I told you he was insane. The idiot seemed to look around, realizing that everyone was looking at him, and not reacting to…whatever he saw or heard. "You don't…see him?" he questioned. Everyone gazed at Flint like he was crazy, and he sighed, as if he was used to that kind of stuff. "It's Nixon. He's standing right there?" he gestured to empty air. He seemed to question himself even more than the rest of camp did.

"Uh…I hate to break it to you, but there is no one there." I commented.

"No," the half-horse-half-man corrected, trotting forward. "Nixon might indeed be there. Let's think. What can a son of Hades see that we cannot?"

Flint turned pale, as if he saw a ghost. Because he did. "I can see…the dead."

* * *

**Nixon Chadwick**

_I knew I was dreaming because I was in Olympus. Even though I'm awesome enough to be a god, it hadn't happened yet. Aphrodite was alone, on somehow solid clouds, her face constantly changing. She was standing, hands on her hips, because crossing her arms wasn't glamorous enough. _

_"Hey!" I grinned, sounding carefree, though a little annoyed, and a lot scared. She didn't visit for no reason. "Long time no see!"_

_"I've got a surprise for you." She said with a sweet smile, but her jaw was clenched. She was so mad that she didn't even tilt her face for the perfect lighting. I was _so _going to be in trouble._

_I laughed sheepishly. "What's that?"_

_Out of nowhere, Mom lunged at me. "You ungrateful, cheating, backstabbing, jerk! YOU WILL PAY! You've dated so many girls, so many. They fell in love! And you never felt a thing for them!"_

_I flailed backwards in order to get away. Yeah, I trampled on girl's hearts. She never had an issue with it before though. Apparently, a scorned Aphrodite was an insane Aphrodite._

_"You will never be seen or heard ever again by people! You can never touch, hug, or kiss! You are nothing!" she screeched, charging. _

_I darted backwards, but my back ended up against a pillar. I thought she'd stab me, but instead, she reached out, saying, "Poke!" and tapped my forehead. Then she giggled maniacally. "My work is done. Wake up, my son! See what surprise I have in store!"_

* * *

Light seeped into my vision. I sat up too fast, and my head hit the ceiling because I had a top bunk. Being 6'4 was totally worth it for the chick attention I got, but it had its disadvantages. The first thing I did was check my reflection, like any other morning. Most of the time, I enjoyed basking in my handsome-ness, but what if Mom turned me into some monster?

I looked normal though. I saw myself, an approachable guy, yet intimidating at the same time because I was out of everyone's league.

Then I finally realized something was off. There was no one in my cabin. Girls were always here at least until 12 in the afternoon, putting on make up and doing their hair. I poked my head outside, and there was a crowd. I cursed. I hated any attention that was not centered around me. What could possibly be more important than myself?

I rolled my eyes as I realized there was a quest again. When I learned they were looking for a daughter of Zeus, I yelled, "It's her! Um…what's her name again…? Oh, Regina! She's daughter of Zeus!"

"Be quiet!" Flint growled, his eyes the exact color of green Greek fire. Ha, as if I could shut up.

"At least it's out in the open now. On the bright side, Regina, you can use so many pick up lines now! 'When I saw you, sparks flied'. Oh, or 'Even through the storm, our love will prevail'! That one's sort of cheesy though. Or how about-"

"Okay, would you quit it with the puns!?" Flint exclaimed, and I just laughed. I took pride in getting a rise out of him. Most couldn't because he was so reserved. At least this took my mind off of Aphrodite cursing me somehow.

I realized no one could see me just about the same time as emo boy. See? I can access my surroundings just as quick as him! Why weren't people staring? They always stared, even if I was just standing there. For the first time in my life, I was speechless.

I was silent long enough for Flint to say, "I can see…the dead." in his annoyingly vague way.

"You mean to say Nixon is a ghost?" Regina said, skeptical.

"You mean to say I'm not alive!?" I exclaimed. My life was over. Literally over.

"Hm…I don't know whether to feel happy or annoyed about this." Flint said, darkly sarcastic.

"At least he's not here to be obnoxious." Punk girl agreed.

"HEY!"

"He's getting mad." Flint translated. Then he said to me, none too warmly, "Don't worry that much. Maybe you're just half dead or something. We'll look for your body."

"Yeah, that makes me feel so much better!" I said sarcastically. "And the dove in this quest is _obviously _referring to me. I should go on the quest."

Right after, an Athena camper who couldn't see me said, "I think the dove in this quest is referring to Nixon. He should go on the quest." Of course, I'm finally smart, and they don't hear it!

"Yeah," Regina seconded reluctantly. I could tell she didn't really want to be noticed in this moment, but she sort of naturally drew attention to herself. That sort of happened when you had bright red hair and freakish clothing. Everything about her was all or nothing. "And…I think I should go too."

"Why!?" Clarisse barked, along with some others. "You're an Ares camper! I would of volunteered, but I know my place. We don't belong in that mission."

"Yeah…about that…" She grabbed the cabin leader's arm and shocked her, hard enough for even the toughest girl in camp to wince. Barely, but still. "That's for giving me a black eye. And I'm daughter of Zeus. Sorry."

The camp instructor clapped his hands nervously, as surprised campers seemed relieved they wouldn't have to go. "Well…you three should get ready."

Great. I had to go on a quest consisting of crazy people. I'd be with my worst enemy, a girl with zero fashion sense, and later on, some other chick we'd meet that was hopefully cooler than them. And then there was me, the only normal one. Oh, except I was a ghost. What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

**Question of the Day (optional):**

What does your name mean, reviewers?

Rilo Ward's name (pronounced Rye-low) roughly means Dream Guard.

Flint Shaden's roughly means Light up the Dark.

Regina Abelle's roughly means Queen Bee.

Nixon Chadwick's means roughly Fearless Dairy Farm Belonging to Chad. He's random, so he got a random name.


	3. Chapter 2: Dreading Working with Losers

**Author's Note: **Hey there, people of Earth! This is chapter three! Here's the recap: Rilo received a death threat by the Greek god of…well, death. Flint, prince of gloom (Nico is _king_ of gloom haha), predicted…doom. Regina reveals herself as daughter of Zeus. Nixon's mother turned him into a ghost. Oh, and there's a quest! What will happen? Read to find out!

* * *

**Rilo Ward**

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! That's what I wanted to say when the god of the Underworld requested our deaths. I tried to reason with him instead, though it quickly became apparent I was not the best bargainer. "We have not a clue of what you two were speaking of. You could most likely make us forget it all. Or make us mute. Even turn us into skeletons. Or-"

"Stop giving him ideas!" Ferdinand bleated.

That was my issue. If you could get me to speak, I could not stop. Mother used to give me word limits on how much I could say, until she'd changed that number of words to zero. I suppose that's why I just kept quiet entirely most of the time. Words could get one into trouble. "Or perhaps you are right, killing us _could_ keep us silent…" I continued. Another thing: I always told the truth.

The iris message faded away. Both Ferdinand and I tensed, anticipating monsters, closing our eyes in dread. The seconds ticked, and we found that no one was sent to murder us….yet.

Ferdinand seemed relieved, and yet, he simultaneously looked like he wanted to strangle me. "You almost got us killed back there! 'Turn us into _skeletons_!?' What were you thinking!?"

I felt puzzled. Had I done something wrong? "I wanted to see his point of view." I said softly.

He sighed with a shake of his head, though I'm not sure what he meant to express 'no' to. "I suppose it is refreshing to see someone so unguarded. Many demigods are scarred from their experi-"

"So they have shields to guard them? And where on their body are they scarred, exactly?" I interrupted, curious. I wanted to know, so I could identify some of my kind.

Ferdinand stared at me blankly. "It was a figure of speech."

"Oh."

"…Anyway, you are more gentle than most, for better or worse. Let's keep searching for-"

"Skeleton boy." I pointed.

"Now you're using figurative speech!" he accused. "I guess you _could_ call a son of Hades 'skeleton boy'."

"No. It appears there is a _real _skeleton boy." I insisted. Ferdinand turned. I neglected to mention the one hundred other 'skeleton boys' behind it, sent by Hades to kill us. That wasn't very nice of him.

I stood there. My instincts never told me to 'flight or fight'. They told me to stay still.

"COME ON!" the satyr yelled, dragging me along. His instincts told him to run. I was thin and scrawny, but not fit. I was breathing hard after only minutes. I was running for my life though, so I would not stop.

We came to a clearing after a long time, which had what I believed to be a slab of cement in the middle. It was far stranger than that though, I learned, once we got closer. It was an exact replica of Ferdinand in stone. The only off attribute was his face, frozen in horror, and not the familiar warm yet gruff smile. In a frenzy of panic, he broke off a rock-covered horn. I could not follow what he was up to. I'd just have to trust.

The spirals of the horn shifted, the stone peeling off. Ferdinand twisted it as if it were pliable wire, until it resembled some type of shell…a conch shell.

"This was a 'present' from Medusa." he grumbled, his face defiant. Then he took a deep breath, huffing into the makeshift device. It made a loud and sloppy sound, like a high-pitched buzzing of a mosquito with too much blood to fly straight. Most important of all, nothing came to save us.

The skeletons started to surround the terrain. Father told me long ago that I used my power wrong, but I did not even know what my power was. I needed it though. I needed it so desperately _now_. I did not have room for hate within a heart already filled with only thoughts of getting back to sleep, but in that moment, I almost detested my father.

_That's what you get for running._ He said, internally.

Were we going to die? It wouldn't be that shocking. However, out of nowhere, nymphs charged, taking down their boney opponents. I realized that Ferdinand's instinct had not been to run after all, but to fight. The conch shell had worked. What was left in the end was a large mountain of bones, but not our own.

"I am sorry I was not much help." I said with a frown. I was supposed to do more than stand there. That was all I'd ever done in life. Be a bystander. Stand there.

"It's okay." Ferdinand assured. "You are simply finding your voice. Give it time." The satyr was high-fiving nymphs. He seemed to be very well liked. I wondered how one did this. Became liked.

There was one thing I could do for him..."How about you stay here, in the forest? They look as though they need you, the nymphs." I told him, not meeting his eyes. I never met anyone's eyes.

"But I must help you-"

"You've taught me very much on what it means to be a demigod. Plus, I know the one I seek is son of Hades now, someone named Flint. And also that Olympus is trying to hide something." The god of the underworld wouldn't have worked so hard to kill us if that weren't the case.

His face slowly showed a smile with crinkles on the side, like he'd experienced many long laughs. He gave me the horn-shell invention slowly. "This takes 'call of the wild' to a new level. And yes, that is a figure of speech." He cleared his throat. "If I'm going to be a leader, I have to practice my motivational pep talks, so…" he trailed off, thinking. "Use the conch shell when you need to, for you are never alone. Good luck, Rilo. And find your voice."

* * *

**Flint Shaden **

Honestly? This sucked. Nixon was my worst enemy. Regina hated me. I'm pretty sure the gods have some show in Olympus called 'Make the Demigod Crazy'. If the rumors are true, then I was definitely featured. I could imagine them laughing, saying, "This will definitely get him off his rocker!" Damn, maybe they were right.

Nixon followed me as I went to my cabin to get packed. He had no off button. Apparently, when he had no one to talk to, he got so desperate that he'd stoop so 'low' as to talk to me. Or maybe he just wanted to annoy me. I don't know if he was smart enough to think that far ahead though.

"Ha, there's so much black mail I could use against you in your cabin!" he said, far too excited. Nixon apparently was able to keep physical form and touch other objects…including my dresser doors with the old mythomagic cards Nico had given to me. Crap. "Hm…I wonder how many rips it takes to make the 'Tartarus' card un-useable."

He was _not _about to destroy the one thing my barely-older-partial-brother gave me. Maybe Nico offered it to me (threw it at my head, actually) just to get it off his hands, but it had used to mean something to him. I was about to source skeletons to defend it.

I was interrupted when Regina opened the door with such force that it left a hole in the wall. I was starting to think maybe she really _was _daughter of Ares.

She glanced at the dresser doors moving without anyone there; probably figuring it was the pale-skinned ghost. "I swear you guys are taking way too long to pack. I'm already done. Shouldn't it be the other way around!?"

"Well, with your terrible fashion choice, I'm not surprised it took no time at all…" Nixon grumbled, rolling his evil brown eyes. I think he tried not to seem like a son of Aphrodite most of the time, but stuff like that slipped out occasionally.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't tell Regina what you just said so she can kill you." I challenged.

"For one, you have mythomagic cards. And she can't touch me. Plus, I know your family secret." He said smugly. I felt dizzy. He said this as if I needed a reminder. Very few people knew the secret, and he was one of them, unbelievably. This was the ultimate black mail, because it would take other people down with me.

Regina leaned in, interested. "What did Nixon say? I wouldn't kill him, gosh. It looks like someone beat me to it anyway."

Me on the other hand? I was planning to seriously injure him. Bones started popping up in incomplete skeletons so I hit him with part of a ribcage. He tried to stab me in the eye with a mythomagic game piece.

"Hey, break it up, break it up." Regina said tiredly. "…Man, you guys must really hate each other if _I'm _the one stopping an argument." She snatched the cards and pieces, which probably appeared to be floating in her eyes. "Whoa. Is this the Tartarus deck!? This is the rarest card!"

Huh? "…How do you know that…?" I asked.

"None of your business!"

I shrugged and threw the deck of cards into my bag.

"Alright, let's find my body now!" Nixon said eagerly, pushing me along. Then a light bulb went on at the same time for both of us, but he said the idea first. Well…that's embarrassing. "Hey, how come I can push _you_, but earlier when Regina grabbed the card, her hand went through me?"

"I…don't know." I admitted. "You're not a typical ghost. You should be seeable by other demigods, and you're not even slightly transparent. "  
"Like, you see through clothes 'transparent'?" he asked.

I resisted the urge to face palm. "Like I can see through you to see things behind you

'transparent', idiot." If I pointed to Nixon and said, 'this guy is evil!' everyone would laugh. Most thought he was charming, some found him annoying, but no one saw him as sinister. If you knew him personally, _you'd _laugh too. He was good at that. Being mean, yet nice enough to not be hated. He'd slowly, painfully, hack away at your self-confidence, knowing exactly what he was doing. Granted, he didn't see kids cry after his pestering like I did. He didn't know how much influence he had on people. He was powerful in that way. I wouldn't let him have control though. "Basically, you look completely human to me."

"He looks like a random space of air to me." Regina said in an exasperated tone. "Can someone please tell me what Nixon is saying?"

I filled her in. I wasn't used to talking this much. It was exhausting.

"But we should find his body and figure it out." I finished. I wasn't even close to finishing though. Finishing solving this mystery, I mean. Of course not….things could never be that easy. The first bad sign was apparent when we opened the bedazzled door of Nixon's 'home'. I wasn't sensing any death. Once we got inside his cabin, all of the Aphrodite campers were acting completely normal. "Eeeew! Get out!" one of them said to me. Typical. I guess I was the only guy in camp that still had cooties. Grow up.

I didn't say anything, just kept walking. We made it his bed on the top of the ladder, and I peered in there first. There was blue bedding. There were several notes from his secret admirers (seriously!?). There were empty cologne cans. There was a dartboard with my face on it. But there was nobody. No body.

* * *

**Regina Abelle**

When you add up hating surprises, and hating life, what do you get? This is simple math, people. It equals hating demigod life! I intended to die, but it didn't work. I intended to never leave my cabin, but that went out the window. I intended to never tell anyone who my dad was, but in less than twenty-four hours, that happened. And Flint and Nixon both managed to annoy me enough that I wondered if I died after all, and was sent to hell.

I stared at the empty bed blankly, "Is his corpse there and I just don't see it?"

"No, it really isn't there." Flint confirmed, his posture perfect as usual.

I sighed, "Why is everything so complicated?"

"Welcome to Camp Half Blood." He said dryly.

"Maybe Hermes cabin moved it or something…"

"No, I would of known, I can track this type of stuff."

Of course he could. Figures. Before I could reply, Chiron came in on a wheel chair, I guess to hide his true form. "Flint, Regina, Nixon. Did you find the body?"

"No." I said shortly.

He looked concerned. "We scanned the whole area and it has not been recovered. That may be because…Nixon, you are not really dead."

"What a disappointment." I mumbled under my breath, so no one could hear.

"You've been cursed in some way by the gods." Chiron hypothesized to the pretty boy.

I could predict Nixon was talking up a storm, over-animatedly moving his arm muscles he got for the sake of being superficial around, but I wasn't certain, of course. I hated not knowing things, not being in control. I guess that was my Zeus genes kicking in, eh?

Chiron seemed to read my frustration, even though I tried to hide it. "Everyone, come to the Big House. Let's discuss the quest."

It was better than being surrounded by Aphrodite's children.

"Alright…" Chiron said once we got there, as Flint and him got some hot chocolate. I thought, 'Yeah, the world's in major chaos, let's enjoy a warm beverage! That makes perfect sense.' I took some too though, just so I wouldn't click my fingers on the table, but the cup instead. Psh, obviously it was not for the chocolaty goodness. I was just restless. Duh. "So, I want to get all of your perspectives." He continued. "What do you think this quest's goal is?"

Flint started by saying, "Nixon thinks it's to stop him from being a ghost. Idiot. …Ow! Stop hitting me!"

I shook my head, focusing on one spot on the table so I wouldn't roll my eyes. "I think it's deeper than that. Besides, I wouldn't go on a quest to just save him. The point of it is like it said. 'Stop the feud or dead will reap.' We have to stop some fight. Which starts with you two losers getting along." I gestured to Flint, who was slugging someone invisible, and the air that must have been Nixon.

"No, not happening." Flint said, stubborn. His face always managed to show his uncompromising disposition.

"Hold a grudge much?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, actually. Yes I do." Flint seemed so mature most of the time, too mature really, but how much could he really be if he wasn't going to let something go for the sake of the world? "Plus, what if _he's _the one that's 'rotten to the core', like the prophecy mentioned?"

Chiron looked troubled. "This is a serious matter. You need to trust each other. You are children, yes, but you need to act as though you can handle this like adults."

My fingers left tiny crescents in the paper cup holding my hot chocolate, the drink spilling over my chipped grey nail polish. Trust was hard to do when I barely knew any of them.

Flint took a deep breath before saying, "Can we at least think this quest thing through?" For having ADHD, he lacked impulsion.

I disagreed. It sounded too boring. "The point is, nothing is supposed to be as it seems. We shouldn't kill ourselves…or each other, in the process of trying to figure this out. Some things we can't fix until we act."

Chiron let a small smile show. "Good job. I am proud that our half bloods see planning ahead is sometimes not the best thing to do."

I flicked the table. Praise from adults was just embarrassing.

"I still believe thinking things through would be better." Flint grumbled.

I was getting really keyed up, impatient. "Can we just decide where to start off going and head there?"

"I think the clearest option is going to the underworld." Flint said, then pausing and seeming to listen. He scowled, a dark-ish skinned hand running through his coffee bean brown hair so he wouldn't attack. "…Nixon says we need to find Aphrodite first for some reason. He thinks it's a 'lucky guess'. I don't believe in superstition"

"Well I don't 'believe in' either of your judgments, but I'd rather see the god of the underworld than the goddess of love." I made a face. Sappy things were gross.

"I had a feeling you'd say that." Flint said, and edge in his voice. I was about to ask what I'd done that was so wrong to give him the audacity to sound so sour toward me, but then I realized I didn't care.

We started off, and I tried to hide the anger beneath everything, focusing on the task at hand.

When you're depressed, you don't want to go out. Everything seems daunting. You hate the world, the last thing you want to do is save it. Or at least, that was what it was like for me. I found myself wishing I'd died back there at the park. The Earth kept spinning though, and it wouldn't wait for me to feel ready for life. If it were to ask a question, I think it'd ask some wise crap like: if not now…then when?

Never. That's when I wanted to 'face my ghosts'. Never.

* * *

**Nixon Chadwick**

_"Nixon, go watch Bridget." Bradford ordered. Another name for him was 'Dad'. He preferred Brad though. I guess it sounded cooler._

_"But look! Look! I can do one hundred push ups!" I exclaimed. "Just like you asked!" Man, I was the cutest little kid ever._

_"You're still 200 pounds, you pig!" Wasn't he sweet? Okay, let me clarify. I was the cutest _fat_ kid ever. I looked like a chubby penguin! Can I get an 'aw' up in here! I know, I know, hard to believe that this hot bod was ever overweight. What a success story! I should be on weight watcher commercials…_

_"Go watch Bridget!" Bradford insisted. She was my sister. I always thought her name should have been Clarice. For those of you that don't have as much Christmas spirit as I do, that was Rudolph's girlfriend. Then it could be like a family of reindeer! I'm brilliant. _

_"I don't want to!" I stomped my fleshy feet. Such a rebel... "She's older than me! She should watch me!"_

_"You know her condition." Brad said sternly. "She needs constant supervision." My dad was 'busy', lost in a picture of the only woman he'd ever loved: Aphrodite. He tried to fill the void, had many mistresses and what not, once she left. I don't think it worked._

_I wanted to make him proud. I went to watch Bridget. I've never hated him. I wished he noticed me though. But at least everyone else already did._

* * *

Like father like son, that's what they say, right? That's what I didn't get. My mom had been with my dad, knowing he was a womanizer. And she cheated of him all the time, technically. So why, exactly, was I punished so harshly for just flirting around camp? …Okay, maybe it was a little less innocent than flirting, but you get the point.

"Give me a pad of paper." I told the black-obsessed-boy.

"You want to write on it so everyone can see what you're saying, right?" He guessed.

"Yup."

Everyone was busy feeling so sorry for themselves about going on this quest, when who got the worst end of the stick? That would be me. And guess who had to be the positive one? Ding, ding, ding! Me again.

Flint sighed and passed me paper and a pen. I wrote, 'So, should we shadow travel to the Underworld?' It was hard to write when you were dyslexic.

Some of you are probably like, why aren't you telling them about your dream? Why aren't you mentioning why you need to see Aphrodite ASAP? Well young grasshoppers, it's a little something called procrastination, a very strong talent of mine. I did not really want to see my wrathful mother at the moment. Why not go on some other adventure for a while? Even if it were with Flint and Regina, I'd just make the best of this torture.

They squinted for a while. It was also hard to _read_ when you were dyslexic. Once the sixteen-year-old boy realized what I'd written, he fidgeted. He was reluctant to admit any weakness. He had so many. "Um…I can't."

"Why!?" Regina and me asked at the same time.

"Well," Flint kicked a rock along the ground. His accuracy was next to nothing, constantly missing the stone. Just to confirm what you already know: he'd never be a soccer player. "I'm not _all_ powerful. I can only use it so many times. And I already used it up this week. Unless you want to end up in Hawaii's volcano or some place random, I shouldn't use it."

I realized then he'd used it to save Regina, who'd been a complete stranger to me, and probably him, back then. Was that noble or stupid? Definitely stupid. Even if she was daughter of Zeus, she didn't _act _all that powerful. She just covered up with make up, and a nose ring, and fire-engine-red hair.

I bit the cap of the pen in my hand. "Come on, you guys!" I wrote. "You need to brighten up. At least we get some exercise walking!"

Flint didn't smile, as predicted, but he said, "There's an entrance in Central Park called the Door of Orpheus. It leads directly to Hades's palace." It sounded simple enough. "One issue though: we need someone with musical talent in order to get in."

"I can't sing." Regina confirmed, her voice flat as a camp breakfast pancake. It'd been like that really since she got to camp. I thought it was part of her personality.

All of this was sounding like blah, blah, blaaah, blah.

In wobbly letters I etched on the pad, "Yeah, and Flint can't sing to save his life. Like this one time in the shower house, he was singing a Taylor Swift song. Classic…"

Regina snorted and Flint growled defensively, "That never happened!" That was true. I knew he took music choice seriously though. I mean, he was emo, and all emo kids are obsessed with music, right?

"Can you sing?" the redhead asked me doubtfully.

"Psh, no." I wrote. "I'm way too cool for being in choir or band. Nerds. ...Ah ha! I have an idea! Can the musical person be a mortal?"

Flint nodded, "Yeah, but she or he can't be recorded. They have to be present. And if they are just full human, they have to be of some importance or else it won't make up for the fact they aren't godly. Orpheus won't accept the offering."

"Stop at the nearest payphone."

"Why? Regina asked.

My hand was getting tired from writing, but hey, I was talkative. "Because Brad my dad has connections. He lives in Hollywood. I could call him up and…we could get a celebrity to come help us!"

* * *

**Question of the Day:**

Who's your favorite celebrity?

Rilo's favorite celeb would be Morgan Freeman. 'His voice!'

Flint's would be someone from a really old hard rock band. Like not rock-_pop_, but the original stuff that inspired it.

Regina's was probably Mitch Lucker from Suicide Silence (screamo) or anyone from Rise Against (punk rock….ish?)

Nixon's would be Miley Cyrus, just because it annoys people and gets them bickering whenever he says that.


	4. Chapter 3: Lerman and Vermin

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! This chapter will guest star a certain special celebrity! You see, technically the timing is off. The movie he or she was in came out a while ago, but in the story, it's coming out now. But hey, I can mess with time, that's why it's called fiction! And I have no clue what this real celebrity would act like in reality, so they ended up being an easy-going mortal. Oh, and my favorite dam ( ;) ) huntress will be guest starring too! Read on!

* * *

**Rilo Ward**

When something ends, sometimes the trickiest question to answer is how to start again. My mind tried to deceive me after Ferdinand was gone. It attempted to tell me to stay safe, and not put my life in peril for a stranger. But somehow, I recognized this was not just a search I was lost within. This whole thing was bigger than myself.

I just walked. I very much preferred it to running. I didn't have a particular direction, but I supposed that was all right, as long as I was going somewhere.

I had not traveled outside of the city, and because of that, I was immersed in the beauty of the forest. I was so preoccupied, I in fact ran into a tree. "…Ow."

"Ow!? I'm the one that's hurt here!" a voice said.

I looked around, startled. "Hello…?"

"Up here, four eyes!"

I looked up to see that within the tree, there was a face. It reminded me of the movie _The Wizard of Oz. _Its knobby branches and stark pale bark reminded me of…me. "U-uh, I'm sorry!"

"You never should of come to this part of the forest, daughter of Sleep! I do not feed off of sunlight. I feed off of pain." I could see bitterroot flowers growing around the trunk. Maybe that was sentimental to its personality.

I was going to die. One wrong step on weakened legs and a famished brain, literally a clumsy mistake, and I was about to be killed. Its branches wrapped around me like fingers, constricting. _Dad! _I thought internally. I could ask for help. I'd never had a problem with that.

_Rilo, you cause nightmares. You show how fiction can cause pain. _My father's voice was snide and harsh. _Break him._

I didn't want to. Did I really want power? Did I really want to be like_ him_? It was survival of the fittest though. I knew what I must do, my eyes snapping op-

"Jeffrey, you scullion! I must say you are persistent." Before I could do anything, I was released. I rotated. The tree, apparently named Jeffrey, had been hit with a silvery arrow. Then I turned to see who had done such a thing. She had tan skin and black hair, but what was most conspicuous was her movement of grace. "You…" she nodded at me, as she readjusted her bow, "need to learn to fight for yourself."

That hurt a bit. "I planned to," I explained, "but I was assisted by you before I could, Miss…" I trailed off, not knowing her name.

"Zoe Nightshade." She confirmed. Though she seemed slightly younger than me in age, her spirit was old. "Huntress of Artemis." She paused, her expression darkening. "Or _deceased _huntress of Artemis." She looked at me, accessing the way I stood. "You seem to be far too unvigilant to be an experienced demigod. Need be, I could explain what us Hunters do."

"I am Rilo." I said, even though she never asked. "And I already know." I'd identified I was not normal years ago. Remember how I said I always told the truth? That was wrong, to be honest. I am a talented liar. I lie to myself. I'd seen through the mist, I'd just chosen to ignore it, forget. And the world wouldn't forgive me for it.

Zoe seemed baffled. "Then why have you not joined us yet!?"

"I do not want to." I admitted, twiddling my thumbs in a circle.

She sought answers. "_Why_?" The huntress demanded, but then seemed to remember herself. "My apologies. What I meant by that question was…why? Why are you in the midst of the forest?"

She unsettled me by her blunt ways. I paused for such a long time, that I believe she was going to ask again. Dot, dot, dot. Finally, I said, "I am looking for someone. A son of Hades."

Zoe's face showed clear disgust, her voice like venom. "Men…so troublesome, such fools."

I tried to agree. "I am not very good at talking to guys, if that's what you mean…"

"No." she corrected. "You are not good at talking with anyone. But you said you were looking for a son of Hades? …I knew one." She didn't sound like she was fond of the memory. "Nico di Angelo."

Why did everyone know Nico, but not the boy I was seeking, Flint? "Actually, I'm looking for a separate son of Hades."

Zoe looked terrified. "There are _two _of them!?"

"Do you have any idea where he is?"

"No." she deadpanned. "Besides, like I said, you cannot be so dependent. And what would give you a single notion _I _would know where he is? That is rather insulting! Why are you trying to find the hooligan anyway?" she pressed, already turning away stiffly, as if I'd let her down.

"Sorry…and it's because of Bianca." I rummaged through my bag, and handed her the note. I trusted her. I trusted everyone.

She sighed. "I am too loyal. In some way, I will help you. After all, I knew her as well, a skilled huntress, who died much too swiftly."

Bianca had been a huntress? I felt a surge of admiration. She'd always told me to do something for myself, not for another's approval. I'd never learned how, but it seemed she finally had. Then I remembered her decision might have gotten her killed. The admiration was killed too with that memory.

"Here." Zoe gave me a tiny container. "These are paralyzer and poison darts. They cause immense pain, but you won't kill anyone with a single dose. And also, if you plan to find the boy, try the underworld. Central park."

"Thank you." I was about to go there, when an arrow whizzed past my head. Zoe had shot it. At first I'd thought that surely she hadn't been aiming for me, but then I realized she had.

My eyes, too large already for the proportion of my face, widened like orbs. I ran. All I knew was that my bare feet, prodded with thorns, had to keep moving. They weren't callused. They'd never needed to be before.

She pursued. What had I done wrong? Why was she trying to kill me?

I fumbled for a dart. Could I shoot it? I didn't want to, I didn't want to, I_ didn't_ want to. But I did. I shot it. It almost missed, but it connected with her arm. I was frightened, almost apologizing.

Zoe was laughing though. "You're not as weak as I thought." She said with grudging respect. "Now don't look at me like that! I told you I would somehow assist you. There was no danger. My arrows couldn't kill you, they'd go _through_ you. Plus, you can't kill someone that has already died…I was seeing if you'd walk over someone to avoid being walked over yourself. I was preparing you for the real world." She explained firmly.

Real, I hated to real.

She remained stiff, but there was a spark in her eye. "Mark my words. Trust no one. But I suspect…you will survive."

* * *

**Flint Shaden**

Let me clarify something: I'm not emo. Or scene. Or goth. Or obsessed with black. What I _am _though is the son of Hades. There is a very distinct difference between those stereotypes that society just does not comprehend. I don't even wear all black, just dark colors. And my hair isn't remotely close to long. The point is. I don't even _look _emo. I just apparently have a dark vibe. Nixon says that me being 'internally emo' is enough.

"That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard." I snapped at his naïve notion. Maybe that was exaggerating. I mean, I've hung out with Percy before. "Let's just call some mortal up and ask them to sing to open the underworld. I'm sure they'll understand." Yeah, I was sarcastic. Everyone knew better than to laugh though.

"We don't have to tell them anything." Nixon said/wrote. "Most celebs are insane or chill enough to just agree, escape Hollywood for a bit."

"And the paparazzi?" Regina asked, arms crossed.

"It's called the mist." Nixon insisted, as if he had it all figured out. His carefree ways were just idiotic sometimes.

I'm reluctant to admit I had no better ideas. "Fine." I finally agreed.

After he wrote down his dad's number, Regina dialed a nearby payphone and said, clearly irritated, but trying to sound polite, "Hey, Mr. …Chadwick. Your son is on a quest right now, and we need a celebrity singer. Anyone free?" Would it kill her to beat around the bush a little? "…Mmmhmm…Whatever…Well you're ugly!...Fine." she hung up.

"What happened?" Nixon wrote.

Regina's hands were in fists. "Oh, so now you don't like being left out of conversations, ghost boy!?" It was nice that the nickname wasn't directed at me for once. "Hypocrite. To make a long story short, some guy named Logan Lerman is coming down. And your dad is a jerk."

Nixon smiled in false innocence. "But I'm so much nicer than my pops, right?" I wondered if Regina really didn't care about looks, or if she just wasn't drooling pathetically over him because she couldn't see him. "Oh, and Logan is awesome!" he continued. "He's a rising star in acting!"

I just hoped he could sing. We'd have to wait a couple hours for him to get here, and free time was never a good thing for half-bloods.

Near the end of our waiting, Nixon snapped his fingers. "Damn! We should of called Miley Cyrus. She's so crazy she probably wouldn't know what's going on!"

I raised a dark eyebrow, trying to remember who she was. "That one girl on Hannah Montana? Why?" I shuttered, realizing I actually just said 'Hannah Montana'. My cousin had been obsessed with that show.

Nixon's expression turned mischievous, which was never a good sign. "You didn't happen to see the VMAs, did you?"

"…No…"

Regina was catching on to something before me. "Nixon! Don't corrupt his mind!" she objected.

"Um…'corrupt my mind'? I'm a half-blood. I think it's a little late for me to be corrupted." I didn't like it when people tried to protect me. They all died when they did that.

Nixon shook his head. "I like how you can turn a normal comment into something gloomy. Killjoy much? Anyway, we have nothing else to do." The pretty boy-ghost flipped a coin, and then said the chant to Iris, adding, "VMAs. Miley Cyrus. Twerking."

What the Hades was 'twerking'?

An image flashed on a nearby puddle. Regina mumbled, "It was nice knowing you. Don't say I didn't warn you."

I probably should have looked away. I _really _should have looked away. What I saw was creepier than any monster I'd faced. If I was ever dropped in Tartarus, I think the pit would play that video over and over until I went mad. When it was finished, I felt like I needed to brush my teeth or something. "That was just…just so…" I tried to move my light brown hands in gestures, as if it would make me find the words. "That was just so wrong."

Nixon was doubled over laughing, barely able to write anything legible. "Let show him Wrecking Ball!"

"No way." Regina stomped her black zipper-covered boot on the image in the water, breaking the connection. "Enough fun and games-"

"That wasn't fun at all." I corrected.

She bit her lip as if the nose piercing wasn't enough and she wanted a lip ring too. She was trying not to snap. I knew Regina had an attitude, and it was sort of annoying how the slightest thing got her irritated. It was better than being numb though. That'd been getting me worried that she'd try again with the whole suicide thing. I still didn't know what drove her to that point.

It felt like forever, but finally someone that looked a lot like Percy walked up to us. His hair was too light, his eyes too blue, his smile too sweet. There was definitely resemblance though. "Hey guys, I'm Logan." He looked around. "Where's Nixon?"

"Dead." I said dryly.

His eyes widened, "Seriously!?"

"…I was joking…" I needed to work on sounding more humorous with my jokes. Maybe then people would get them. "He's just at the movies, trying to get girls, no doubt." I lied.

"Of course he is." Logan chuckled. "What can I do for you?" He questioned.

All he had to do was help us save the world. No biggie. "Nothing much. Just sing."

* * *

**Regina Abelle-**

You could call Logan Lerman selfless. He came down here with no prior warning to help some random sixteen-year-olds. However, I thought he was stupid. Good looking, but stupid.

Logan appeared puzzled. "I wish, but I can't sing to save my life!" He laughed it off.

"…You can't be serious." Flint said weakly. I set my jaw to keep from screaming in frustration. Nixon's dad had done this on purpose. That was my best guess. The guy had called me ugly before even seeing my face. He was worse than Nixon.

"Oh well, let's get to the real reason I'm here." Logan said.

I leaned in. Did he know about the quest?

My hopes that he caught on crashed and burned. "So you guys won my sweepstakes to meet me? Who's the big fan?" he grinned, clueless.

"Oh…um…" Flint began, his monstrous green eyes locking on me. No. Way. He didn't really mean I had to pretend to be a fangirl, did he? …Damn, he never joked. He was serious.

I forced a smile, saying in monotone, "Yay. You're actually here." Excuse me if acting was out of my comfort zone.

'More enthusiastic.' Flint mouthed.

Yeah, enthusiasm, my middle name. Jerk. "Oh my gods! I mean…god! I can't believe it! You have no idea how surprised I am!" No, really, he had no idea.

To Logan's credit, he was kind. "It's nice to meet you! I'm glad to be brightening up your day!" Just when I was finally starting to give the guy a tiny bit of credit, he pulled me into a casual hug, and I hated him again. I knew it was just routine, but you see, I am not a hug person. You simply poke me, and you'll live to regret it. I did it for the quest.

"Do you want an autograph?" he offered.

"Yeah. On my forehead." I said sarcastically. Even though I was clearly joking, he took out a sharpie and literally wrote his name there. He sucked at reading people. My expression was something like: -_-.

Even Flint almost laughed. Again, jerk.

"Oh wait, what's your name? I'll sign a paper too. It'll last longer."

Kill me now. "Regina Abelle."

Logan reached for some paper, and then his face turned slack with astonishment. "How come that paper is floating?" he gestured to the notepad that was, in fact, hovering.

"Oh, because Nixon…" Flint began, and then trailed off, blinking. "Wait, you can see that?"

Nixon wrote, "Read this: blueberry blackout sugar sprinkles."

"Blueberry blackout sugar sprinkles." The actor confirmed. "I mean…yeah, of course I can see that." Then he laughed, wondering aloud, "How is it floating? Am I on punk'd or something?"

I didn't get how he could see through the mist, but I was about to play along. That is, until some girl walked in. She was pretty, yes. Too bad she had bronze legs and donkey hoofs instead of feet. So it was an empousa, AKA monster vampire, double AKA _not _just some girl. Oh joy.

"Wow! So realistic! You guys really went all out!" Logan exclaimed. "If I didn't know better, I'd think it was real."

"That's because," I began as it lunged for all of us, "it _is _real!"

Okay, three demigods and a cute actor taking on one monster. Piece of cake, right? Wrong. More empousa gathered.

At first, they were all going for the invisible boy holding up the paper. Why they had it out for Nixon? I had no idea. When they realized they'd just pass through him, they got enraged. Guess who took the blunt of that anger? That's right. Everyone else.

'You're daughter of Zeus!' you maybe are screaming at the computer. 'Just destroy them!'. Please, people, _think _about this. I have no training. I was just thrown into this quest _the morning _afterI arrived to camp. And if you are thinking 'well, Percy did just fine!' I might hit you with a brick. Just…just shhhhhh! Shush up! I was doing my best.

I glanced to Flint. He wasn't the best at handling people, but his fighting skills were on point. He seemed completely methodical, and he didn't hesitate to destroy anyone. Flint didn't exactly have the whole 'Hades's dark ghostly power' thing down, but apparently he was so paranoid that he had a gazillion weapons on him, all of which he knew how to use.

The son of Aphrodite helped too. Obviously, I couldn't see Nixon, but I had a feeling he had to do with a monster making out with a mailbox. I was starting to realize all my 'allies', if that's what you want to call them, were dangerous. I could be dangerous too though.

Logan on the other hand…he didn't even run. He just kept saying, "This is exactly like the movie I'm going to be in!"

See? The boy was stupid! Why didn't he run for the hills!? I threw him a dagger, which nearly pierced him, but he caught the hilt. Unfortunate, I know. "Don't die."

When all was said and done, we won. I thought Logan would go on some rant about how he'd report us to the police, but I'd forgotten he wasn't normal. "This was…the best sweepstakes job ever!"

I sighed. Golden dust of evaporated monsters went away with the wind. I wished I could go with it, fade away. "You have no reaction to what happened?" I asked crossly.

"I work in Hollywood. It takes more than that to weird me out."

…Freak. "Alright, Logan, we kind of need you to sing." I said.

"I told you, I can't." He paused. "But I can write songs."

He grabbed a piece of paper from Nixon's hands, and started writing.

I was skeptical. "It's not going to work."

As he buried the note, out of thin air, doors appeared, taller than the sky, and they opened. "I stand corrected."

The actor whistled. "The gods really have a thing for theatrics. I wish I could go with you guys."

"NO." I said, but then I paused, feeling the tiniest bit guilty. "What is your movie called so we can go see it one day? If we live through this, I mean."

"_The Lightning Thief."_ He said. The doors literally started sucking us into the darkness.

"Good luck, I guess." I said.

"Don't worry, you won't forget." He pointed to my forehead with his autograph.

Jerk. "Right…"

The doors were starting to drag me in.

"Oh, and one last thing Regina."

"Make it quick." I barked.

He grinned, "I lied. I didn't write on your forehead with sharpie. I wrote that with dry erase."

You could call Logan Lerman selfless. However, I thought he was stupid.

* * *

**Nixon Chadwick**

Not only was my mom trying to kill me. So was my dad. Talk about tough love! He'd known Logan couldn't sing because of karaoke one night at my house, when I was younger. Good times, good times…

Things didn't add up. Maybe I'm wrong, I'm terrible at math. It didn't make sense though. My dad, despite his flaws, was a good man. And why were the monsters women!? Why hadn't he known that no one could touch me, especially the opposite sex?

"Let's get going." Flint said, as Regina grumbled to herself, rubbing her forehead.

It's probably unnecessary for me to point this out, but the underworld is creepy.

There were ghosts everywhere, and for once, Flint didn't stand out like an ugly sore thumb. It was like the residents thought, 'No black on your clothing!? Shunned.' I didn't like it. And honestly, I'm afraid of the dark.

"Hey, hey!" I said, hoping the other ghosts could hear me. Nope, no luck. The path of isolation continued.

It was literally a mere three minutes later when we saw Hade's crib. Everything was just falling in our laps. Was this how quests usually went? They weren't so bad! "Okay, I call breaking in and acting like a ninja!"

Flint stopped me. "Wait. Don't you think something is a little off?" The guy was no fun.

"No."

Regina face palmed. "Read the sign."

"Oh." I turned. I normally didn't bother reading anything. "'Just smoothie-ing'...? Wait…'Just moving'!?" I sank to my knees dramatically. "Noooooo!"

"I knew we couldn't be let off this easy." Flint grumbled.

Regina said straightforwardly, "The old creep moved. So what? Let's find him." She stayed on task better than any of us, but that's not to say I'm not way more awesome than her.

I followed along, trying to imagine this was some magical meadow, not the death emporium. "You guys," Flint said, seeming distant. "The writing on the sign."

"Okay. What about it?" I asked. Must he be so vague?

"It's in cursive. My dad would never write in cursive."

Uh oh. He was starting to catch on to how my mom must have been behind the move. "How much do you know about your dad anyway?" I asked nonchalantly, trying to draw his attention away. It wasn't to protect mom; it was to protect me. "He basically keeps his wife stuck here with a mother in law who is obsessed with cereal, he had three children from two mortals, which isn't allowed, and he never redecorates this place, clearly. He probably has made tons of questionable decisions over the millenniums, such as using girly writing."

Flint seemed to return from planet moron, or in other words, planet I'm-detatching-myself-because-I'm-scared-to-see-my -godly-parent. He was more present. Flint started to lead us in one direction. "Since he moved, we need to find Charon."

We ended up at a river, the water black as 'the bruises I left on woman's hearts', as Mom might say.

"Don't get his name confused with Chiron's." Flint warned, glaring at me pointedly, as if I were the most likely one to do so. "If we pay him, he'll help us cross with a canoe, and…" he trailed off as we turned the corner, surprised.

I was the first to write, "That's…not a canoe." Understatement. This was the Ferrari of boats. It looked fast, sleek, and was neon yellow, probably to highlight its greatness. Maybe the underworld got note I was coming and knew I'd need to ride in style.

"Oh, I see, so the nice boat distracts you guys, yet it's no big deal when a guy that has a skeleton for a head is standing right in front of us." Regina grumbled.

"You get used to it after a while." Death Breath said. "Hey Charon." Flint greeted, but I doubted the two were friends. Oh yeah, he had no friends. "Could you take us to 'dad's' house." The poor boy was dreading it, I could tell. This would be fun.

"You all aren't even dead." The cloaked man said. "Why should I?"

"…Because…I can source skeletons to kill you?" Actually, he wasn't good enough with that power yet, but whatever.

"Your father would have your head for killing his assistant. Besides, he promised he'd give me a raise if I kept you away from him. Nico is more powerful anyway." Ha, I told Flint his father didn't love him. He didn't look surprised, but Regina appeared to be appalled and clueless. The man continued on. "What can you give me to top the raise?"

A sly smile played on the son of Hades lips. I should have taken a picture to put in the history books. That never happened. "I've got an idea." I didn't know what he was planning. But I knew I wouldn't like it.

* * *

**Question of the Day:**

If you could see through the mist like Logan (I feel weird saying that, haha), what would you do?

I think you already know the answers for the other characters.

Rilo would try to forget.

Flint, who was loose lipped when he was little, would talk about it to his adoptive parents, and then be called crazy.

Regina would get mad at the world.

And Nixon…oh, I never told you about his story! I'll hear about that for sure. That's secret though! You'll see later. Mwahahaha!


	5. Chapter 4: Safety Scissors Aren't Safe

**Author's Note: **Hiya! Chapter five is here! This chapter will be guest staring: Silena Beauregard and Charles Beckendorf! Gotta love em', right?

Recap: Rilo survives the grasp of Jeffrey, the horrific tree monster, with the help of Zoe Nightshade. Flint watches Miley Cyrus at the VMAs, and is even more disturbed than usual. Regina fights off monsters with Logan Lerman and friends. Nixon makes it to the underworld with the others and the only redeeming factor of the place is that there is an epic boat. They must bargain with Charon first though, to hitch a ride. Read on!

* * *

**Rilo Ward**

The forest had been very pleasant, beautiful even. But when I was suddenly anxious that trees would grab me by my blond hair and then suffocate me, it made it a bit worrisome. I had to get out of there. 'No more dillydallying.' I thought. 'Ignore the ADHD.'

I had not been to central park in New York. I became lost, and ended up looking intently at a swarm of penguins. Whoops. I got distracted...Oh, maybe I should have mentioned I was at the zoo.

Something snapped me out of my thoughts. "Charlie!" A girl pouted, slightly older than me. "We should let them out! They're cooped up, poor things!"

"Silena, if we do that, everyone will think this place is haunted." A tall African American reasoned, though he seemed to be reluctant to tell her no to anything.

"Oh, c'mon! The mist, remember? No one can see us!"

"I can see you." I said, thinking aloud. I raised my pale hand halfway, not fully committed, and oblivious of what reaction would happen in response.

She ran up to me and clasped my hands, jumping around as I flinched in surprise. "Oh my gods! Hiiiiiiiii! I'm Silena, daughter of Aphrodite! You're a demigod, right?"

Startled by her enthusiasm, I stuttered, "I-I think so. I am Rilo." I paused. "Daughter of Morpheus." I wasn't used to saying that.

Then the girl's blue eyes seemed to widen as she realized something. "Why are you wearing such old fashioned glasses!? And you're not even wearing proper clothes! A nightgown? …With blood on it!? And your eyelashes are so long, but they're too light! If you just applied mascara then-"

"Silena." The boy interrupted. "I think you're scaring her. " he said calmly. Then he added, "Oh, and I'm Charles, but you can call me Beckendorf." Even though he was enormous in stature, his quiet nature made me undaunted. Silena on the other hand...

"Fine. I won't give you a total makeover." She huffed. "But can I at least give you a manicure?"

I was not good at saying no to people. I wanted to please them. I looked around, but there was no escape. "…Sure." The end of the world apparently had to wait.

She told me that she had a very important decision to make: which color of nail polish to use. I sorted through them. Instead of defining the colors in the terms of 'red' or 'blue', it was more in depth. There was 'apple orchard', and 'pumpkin spice', and 'shimmering waters'. I decided that from now on, I would describe colors these ways, as objects and places.

"Ah ha! I found the perfect one!" Silena declared. "'This is just peachy pink'! It's a soft color. It makes so much sense!" She said enthusiastically.

For once, she was silent as she painted, entirely focused. I thought she was nice, so passionate about making the world beautiful.

"So what are you doing here?" Beckendorf questioned. "You look...frazzled."

I nodded, saying the phrases I told so many others, explaining the mission. When I got to the part about Flint, Silena smiled. "My half-brother, Nixon, and him always got into arguments. I remember when Nix first got to camp too! He was such a marshmallow!" I did not follow what she meant by this. How could you describe one as a marshmallow? "I wonder how he is now. Say hi to all of them for me when you get a chance to go to camp!"

I told them I would, and where I was headed.

Beckendorf nodded. "If you want to get into the underworld with that door, you need some sort of music. I could make you something that played a song."

"Well…" I paused. "I was told to not be so dependent."

"Humph. Well I'm telling you to break the rules sometimes!" Silena exclaimed. "Um…so the rule is that you can't agree to ask for a music box, you got it? And in order to break the rule, you must…

"Ask for a music box?" I guessed tentatively

"Bingo!"

Beckendorf smiled to himself and began to work. Tinker, tinker, tinker. I wondered why everyone was helping me. Did I seem helpless? Of course I did. ...And that'd have to change.

When they were done, it was dusk. "Oh, oh, oh!" Silena said, rummaging through her own bag. "Here." She handed me boots, which were black, had leather, and were extremely high. She saw my apprehensive expression and laughed. "Don't worry. Unlike a song I know, these boots _aren't _made for walking." Her eyes widened. "…Yes! See Charlie? I just made a song reference that had nothing to do with One Direction!"

He hugged her, pretending to sniffle. "You make me so proud."

"Anyway, they're bombs. Just don't drop them and you'll be fine." She said breezily. "Oh, and with that nail polish, you should probably know it's permanent. It never comes off."

"…Wha-"

She pushed me along gently before I could object. "Go on! It's late! Get some sleep and then get to that Underworld!" she said as though she was excited for me. "And rock those glasses! Remember when you look at your nails, that you are beautiful~"

* * *

**Flint Shaden**

"Watch and learn." I strode up confidently. You probably feel like you're reading Nixon's point of view right now, huh? Nope. It's me. Don't freak out, I'm not turning into _him_. I just needed to pretend to be sure of myself here.

Nico didn't give me much, but he provided a thin booklet he filled with notes on the underworld. It's definitely going to be a best seller. Totally. Basically, I knew a lot about Charon. He was obsessed with mythomagic. I took out my deck in a dramatic fashion.

Nixon found the whole thing comical, while Regina raised an eyebrow doubtfully.

They'd see. These cards had some value, believe it or not. I put my hand on the 'Tartarus' card. "Will this be enough?"

Charon's expression was one of astonishment, and I had to work hard to keep a straight face. "Young boy! Where did you find the rarest card!?

To answer his question, I snapped, "Does it really matter?" Sorry. Sore subject.

He sighed. "No, no, you are right. Fine. If you give me the card, I'll get you to his house."

I nodded, "Deal." I gave him the card without looking back.

Charon started up the boat after we climbed aboard, and it began moving incredibly swiftly to get to our destination...or maybe not our destination. For all I knew, he could be taking us to the Furies for their late night snack.

Regina was spinning her knife absentmindedly. "You don't have the rarest card anymore." she acknowledged.

"So?"

"The rarest card!" she repeated.

"…You used to play mythomagic, didn't you?" I guessed.

She tugged at her fingerless gloves, oversized rings on her fingers shining. I think she was trying to keep from punching me. "...It's a long story. One I don't have to tell you."

That was one of our differences. Apparently I'm 'mysterious'. Maybe I'm hard to read, I don't know. Yet if someone asked me a question, I'd answer it. But she was _guarded_.

We all tried not to be glum on the coolest boat the world had never seen. I couldn't get it out of my head that we were in danger though, alarm bells internally ringing. That was sort of a reoccurring problem for me.

I could tell everyone was fatigued though. "I think we should take turns keeping watch while others get rest." I said.

Regina offered to stay up, but then Nixon wrote, "Hey, ladies need their beauty sleep, even if they lack actual beauty. I'll stay up." I didn't know where he got this stuff. She wasn't _that _ugly.

The redhead looked like she was going to say something, but closed her mouth. Like always. "Whatever, Nixon. At least you can _see_ my face."

He ignored her and said to me, "You go to bed too, other lady." his golden orbs obnoxious in their mockery.

I looked at him warily. I wasn't in the mood, and that's when I took things out of proportion. I made a mistake: "I'm not the 'lady' here. " I snapped. "I don't notice fashion, or make up, or physical appearance. I'm normal in that way." That was the knick in his confidence.

"Hey…" I heard a voice say warningly in the distance.

Yeah, what I'd said was a low blow, and making a big deal out of nothing. People thought Nixon was gay when he was younger, and even though being gay was fine and all, it wasn't so great when he was getting bullied about it. And he was a ladies-man-in-training. And he wasn't actually gay.

His expression darkened, and he was getting more in my face. "Oh, so you're implying I'm overly 'feminine' in my interests? Well at least-

"Hey!" I heard the voice again, but I was too far gone in my rage to care. I was ready to murder him. The secret. He was about to say the secret. Nixon kept going, "At least I'm not like your _brother, _and fell in love with-" I lost it. _Punch. _He. Was. Dead. I knew what Nixon was about to say, and I was not going to stand for it. Nico didn't give me his time of day. He hated me. I hated _him._ But Nixon crossed the line, nearly speaking a truth that was not his to tell.

"HEY!" Finally I realized who'd been talking all that time. Regina's hands crackled with flickering electricity, literally creating a self-made Taser gun. She didn't hesitate and she used it on both of us.

It looked like rain was pelting her like the day at the park, but it was really mist from the speedboat. Nixon and I couldn't move for a while. "You guys, we can settle whatever you are arguing about later. You can't _injure _each other. We need to get this quest done with all three of us in one piece. ...Flint. Go to sleep." I didn't know who to hate. She, of all people, was telling me not to fight! But I had to listen. It wasn't a choice.

"Don't mess this up." I warned Nixon through clenched teeth, and went to the opposite end of the ship. If you think that it's impossible to fall asleep on a boat going a gazillion miles an hour on the rock hard floor while extremely angry, you've greatly underestimated how draining a quest can be.

That night, I had a dream. And you know how fun demigod dreams are! Yeah. Not fun at all.

* * *

'_Go to sleep,' I told myself. 'They're just dreams, nothing real.' I promised. Ha, ha, freaking, ha. I guess I'm pretty good with denial._

_For one thing, this wouldn't be a _dream_. It'd be a nightmare. The first thing I saw in my sleep was Bianca. Fifty percent my sister, fifty percent uninvolved in my life, with an one hundred percent chance of bringing bad news. She waited for me to speak, but I waited for _her _to speak as well._

_"Flint?" she asked, finally._

_"Half sis…" I trailed off coldly. _

_Her expression broke into a smile with more sadness than joy. "You've grown a lot in the past three years since I've seen you."_

_I shrugged. I was slightly broader in the shoulders, my face was sterner, but I was even less approachable than three years before. It wasn't a fair trade off. "You shouldn't be visiting me. Nico needs to see you more. I haven't seen him in..." I counted on my fingers, but then realized ten wouldn't be a big enough number. "A lot of weeks."_

_"I know, but-"_

_"And how are you even here? You were reborn."_

_She sighed. "It's complicated. Being reborn doesn't mean I'm fully gone. And this is a dream, anything can happen."_

_I scowled. I was a demigod. _Of course _anything could happen.  
Bianca started fading. "I've come to warn you, life will change soon, even more than it has. All will become clear soon."_

* * *

It felt like only a minute had passed, but apparently a lot of time had. She was a liar. _Nothing _was clearer. My life was even more screwed up when I awakened. I wasn't on the boat, I wasn't dead, and I wasn't at camp. So where else could I possibly be? I bet you didn't guess I was in the middle of a knitting circle.

* * *

**Regina Abelle**

I believed there was a reason for most things in life. The reason I didn't lose my cool when I was mad was that I really didn't give a fuck about the situation. The reason I didn't always keep my cool was because I forgot not to not give a fuck.

But can some person please give me _one_ freaking reason why I woke up to see three old hags knitting a pair of giant socks?

I swear, everything bad happens to me. I couldn't dwell much on my misery though because the next thing I saw was Flint trying to wrestle away a pair of safety scissors from one of the old ladies. I blinked. 'Okay, this has to be too insane to be real.' I thought. Then I remembered how my life had been the past couple days. On second thought…"Put the scissors down!" I yelled at the lady, drawing my knife.

The grandmother paused, but didn't drop them. She didn't cut anything though. I gave Flint a look as if to say, 'explanation, please!'. He sighed, tired of speaking, as if I'd have sympathy for his vocal chords. "These are the Fates. If they cut any of our shrines, one of us will die soon." His voice wasn't calm, but it showed no fear either. He probably wasn't a morning person, all out of it and such. Freak.

How did we even get here? Charon had agreed to take us to Hade's mansion-castle-thing. Apparently, he lied. And Nixon had promised to keep watch. He lied too, I guessed.

I turned my attention to one of the other ladies that was about to cut some fabric. _Snip_. My eyes widened. Seriously!? Was I too late? The woman saw my expression though and cackled. "I was just cutting the extra length off of my scarf. _This_," she took out some shiny fabric, "is your shrine." Crap. Now I was an idiot wrestling for safety scissors. Our powers weren't working, and even if technically we should have been stronger than three old ladies, they weren't normal. They were godly.

"NIXON!" I yelled, two parts annoyed, one part panicked. "Wake up! A little help here!" I tried to kick him. It didn't work. Duh, he was an untouchable ghost. Maybe fifteen seconds later, I think he woke up somehow. The last hag looked like she had an invisible force holding her back.

For a time that was…well, just too long, we were trying to get the women that smelled of ham and cheese to let go of their 'weapons'. "Let's offer a deal." They all said in unison. "If you play our game, and win, we might let you go. If you lose, all of your fates will be death."

Flint sighed in a resigned way. "We have to agree." He said instantly

"But it's going to be rigged!" I argued. "You're just going to follow their rules!?"

"That's just unheard of for you, isn't it?" He grumbled. He accepted things as is and I always tried to change them.

Was he mocking me!? Our life _was_ at stake so... "Whatever. Fine. What game?"

They grinned, excitement in their beady eyes. "It's a more modern game: rock, paper, scissors." They were joking, right? "The first one to sixty out of ninety wins the game. If you beat at least two of us, you walk free."

The goddess of luck needed to be generous today. "Um…Sure. Let's do this." I glanced at the baby pink safety scissors. What defeated them? Rock. That was the first gesture I did. And then I did it again, and again, and again. I told the others they only used the scissors sign.

We kept using rock. "No!" The Fates screeched. "This is impossible! Scissors _always _wins!"

Apparently not, because all three of us won. "So, open up this creepy little house of yours so we can leave, would you?" I said impatiently.

"Well...our leader told us to only let attractive people free, so I'm afraid none of you qualify."

Okay, why was everyone putting down my appearance this week? Who was paying them to do this!? "Alright, fine! Name what's so bad about how we look, we'll change it, and you'll have to let us go." I challenged.

"Fine." They spat. and pointed to Flint. "You look nothing like your father! Aren't son of Hades supposed to have long hair!?"

Clearly they didn't know Flint. He was too clean cut to have long hair.

They reached out to try to style the poor boy's dark hair, but Nixon, of all people, slapped his notepad on the table to get their attention. "Wait!" he wrote. "It's son of Aphrodite speaking...or writing. It'll look like a possessed chia pet Afro if you style it long. I know. It's shocking it could get more ugly."

They seemed to take his word for it. The Fates whirled around to me. Uh oh. "And you think you're so tough, don't you?!" They bellowed.

"…Well, yeah. Actually, I do." I agreed. They weren't very good with insults.

"Gah, but you must soften your appearance, girl! Your shirt! It would be far more fashion forward if there was one shoulder cut off!"

_Bang, bang, bang. _"Order in the court! Wait!" Nixon wrote in objection. "…Oh, never mind. You were right about that one." He approved. He was definitely trying to annoy us. Now I was angry.

I protested as they attacked me with the scissors, cutting part of the shoulder off. I was all for DIY clothing, but since when did the Fates become the fashion police!?

It really sucked that my mood wasn't as controllable as each day passed.

It was like someone had given me a numbing shot, but it wore off too soon. It didn't make me any happier. It just pissed me off.

"Why are we still here? You lost! Let us go!" I demanded.

"I'm afraid we can't do that. Your appearances are so bad that it would take a millennia to fix all of them." The Fates laughed evilly, grabbing the shrines. That was a cruel joke, wasn't it?

* * *

**Nixon Chadwick**

"Stop." I wrote. The Fates did.

I can't charm speak, folks. Not all children of Aphrodite get that ability, all right? The trick was I convinced everyone I could. I'm not manipulative, yeesh. Just charming.

"Why should we listen to you!?" They spat. "You're just a piece of paper!"

I snickered in Flint's direction. Last night, he thought he could make fun of _me_? "That's where you're wrong. I know a lot about physical appearance, right?" Well then, how would he like it if that 'flaw' of mine saved his life?

"…True…" they said slowly.

"And besides, ladies, I could help you become fashion designers. With a famous father, a beautiful mom, my own taste, and your knitting skills, we'd be unstoppable!" Does it sound ridiculous as you read it? Maybe. Everyone wants to be famous though.

I wasn't used to doing this whole debate thing without people actually seeing me. Normally I trick them with a sweet smile and a wink of the eyes. Today though, I was flying faceless.

They nodded reluctantly. "You do have a point…"

Flint looked to be in disbelief. Regina scowled at the sky as if she thought the whole world was stupid. This was a happy moment for me. I continued on. "But in exchange, you have to let my annoying friends go. And also, I need some fresh air." I spoke as I wrote even though it was unnecessary to speak. It was a habit.

They were bickering about believing me, but one said, "If we're going to run a business, there must be trust!" Well if all else failed, maybe I could convince them to make a fashion line for Victoria Secret. That'd be the life.

But they decided on letting me out, and the doors opened. We booked it out of that crazy house. We ran so fast that the yells of the Fates could not reach us. Yes, you are looking at a speed demon here.

"I guess the charm speaking thing came in handy." Flint admitted reluctantly once we were a distance away, though he still hadn't forgiven me for yesterday, clearly.

"Just don't ever use it on any of us, and I won't kill you." Regina added, busy arranging safety pins in typical punk fashion where the shoulder was cut.

I just smiled. They didn't have a clue I had no power at all.

I was starting to realize I was putting them in danger. I needed to tell them the truth about Aphrodite. It'd benefit all of us, so why not?

First, they'd have to gain my trust though. "Hey," I began. "I know you two are hiding something from me."

Flint looked up sharply, and then at Regina.

Her eyes darkened to match the overly dark eyeliner she used. She nodded slowly, shoulders tense. "Fine. You want the truth? I'll give you the truth." She pulled back her fingerless gloves, revealing an ugly scar that looked raw and new on her arm. "This isn't from a monster. It's from suicide attempt." Then she jerked her head to Flint. "And he messed it up."

Before I could react, I had a flashback.

* * *

_My sister tried to die. Bridget. That was when I was a wee little tyke. She was my full blood sister too, with the same mom, same dad, same everything. The biggest thing she feared was love. Weird, right? The daughter of Love was scared of it. _

_The ironic thing is she was afraid of falling. And that's exactly what she did: fall. When I was little, I used to tell myself she was just leaning in to see her reflection more, and tripped. It was an accident. It sounded like something _I'd _do at least. I know now that she jumped from a bridge on the intent of death. The fall would have been lethal to anyone. It should have killed her. It didn't though. _

_Some people called it a miracle, but I called it cruel. A beautiful smile on an aspiring model was reduced to a girl requiring constant supervision. It's called brain damage, and it sort of sucks. Yeah, she was alive. Yay? Nah. The Bridget I knew was gone._

_Brad told me that it was literally a different girl than my sister. "Her name is Misty, and she's a foreign exchange student!" he'd insist. I think he believed it too. _

_In the process of trying to meet her own needs, Bridget passed on her strain to everyone surrounding her. That was why I was against suicide. Someone always would feel left behind. But don't get all 'sad emoticon face' on me. It turned out fine. Really. It's fine. _

* * *

'It's okay.' I thought. 'It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's...' Then I exploded like a firework. Can we cue Katy Perry singing in the background? Anyhow, I got really mad. Like, 'I wrote in all caps' mad, directed at Regina. "You had no right. I don't care about the damn reason. You had no right."

"Stop." Flint said. I never knew one word could hold so much maliciousness.

I didn't listen. But then, I never listened to Flint. "You idiot! You shouldn't have saved her, dude. She deserves to rot in Tartarus! She deserves it!"

Regina's expression was blank as she read the paper, an empty slate. And then it turned to fury as she registered what I was saying. "You have no idea what it's like to be me, you judgmental prick!" she snarled.

"No. You have no idea what it's like to be _me._"

I wasn't about to let them put me down, so I just turned and ran. That was my solution. I could stay and talk out our issues, in the process probably admitting my past. _Or_ I could run off in the most dangerous place I'd ever been. Stupidity with a purpose, that was my motto.

Lots of stuff was racing through my head then. When I was in the Fate's home earlier, I'd had a bad dream after Charon knocked me out (I hadn't gotten lazy!). In my sleep, someone had been talking to me. I guess I can't blame them though. I'd want to talk to me too, of course

I had no intention of slowing my speed, but one voice stopped me in my tracks. "Hey, boy, I have a proposition for you." It was _the _voice from my nightmare. Why was the person here?

"Hey," I said, pretending to have predicted this. "Of course you do. I'm just so great that everyone if offering a job. What can I do for you?"

"I'll get to that soon. But first…how would you like to learn how your sister survived the fall?"

* * *

**(New) Picture or Quote I Found that Remind me of the Story:**

For Nixon's view on suicide...

Quote 1: It requires more courage to suffer than to die. –Napoleon Bonaparte

For the general situation...

Quote 2: Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. –Plato


	6. Chapter 5: Flying Shoes and Cookie Gifts

**Author's Note: **Let's start out with a really long recap: Rilo got killer boots (literally) and a way to get into the underworld, courtesy of Beckendorf and Silena. Flint won himself a ride on the best boat ever with what? A mythomagic card. Then he has a dream (nightmare), and wakes up in a knitting circle. Safety scissors threaten Regina and the other's lives, and everything depends on a round of rock, paper, scissors, with the Fates. Nixon got them to escape simply by being smart with his words, flashbacked to a not-so-pleasant time, and figured out that Flint and Regina had been hiding her self-assassination attempt. He didn't take it well. Oh, and someone is telling Nixon the truth about his sister. Did a lot happen or what!?

Also, this chapter will only have the first two POVs, and the other two will be released next week in the next chapter. Why? Simply because I wrote more than usual for each POV to get all the events in, so I separated them instead of making you read too much. This chapter is divided in four sections with only two POVs. Sorry this makes the chapter a bit shorter than usual.

It will be guest starring: Luke Castellen, and another super awesome guest! Read on!

* * *

**Rilo Ward**

_As with everything in my life, important news came to me within a dream._

_The first thing I saw was the back of a boy's head. You could tell he was a proud person, __maybe dangerously proud,__by the way that he stood._

_His hair was brown- Oh wait, I wasn't supposed to describe things in color terms...I'll try it again. His hair was the color of almonds, if almonds could be shiny. His skin was like white-sanded beaches, neither tan nor pale. The guy's clothes were normal, but not normal. I mean he was wearing what you'd see any other guy wear, except he made it look superior, enhanced. …A son of Aphrodite? _

_That was all I saw. The dream wouldn't allow me to see anything else. It hinted, but it never told. _

_"Sure. What happened to my sis?" the teen asked with a nonchalant shrug. _

_I heard a different voice immerge. "You know your sister_ _shouldn't have lived. It wasn't humanly possible for her to survive the drop." I didn't understand anything in this dream. _

_"So she lived anyway. It was a miracle. End of story." The boy concluded through clinched teeth. His voice was not soft like mine, but not harsh either. More like he was constantly challenging someone. Was he challenging his opponent? Or was he challenging himself?_

_"No. That wasn't it. Your mother made her live, ashamed of her suicide. The goddess's social standing would be better with the sympathy vote for brain damage than the stigma of suicide. So…she made Bridget remain broken." _

_His shoulders shook. The boy was laughing. "She wouldn't do that. Man, you might have got me there if I were gullible."_

_"Think about it. You always laugh off the truth. How can you be so sure you are not doing so now?"_

_"Because I have faith in humanity." I could hear the amusement in his voice, it lying somewhere between harmless and condescending._

_"And what if your mother is the one that threatens the humanity in which you have faith in?"_

_The teen had no humorous response to that. He tensed very slightly. "Go on…" _

* * *

When I woke up on a park bench, I met a ghost that needed a second chance.

It all started when he tried to pickpocket my bag for drachmas that I did not have. I yelped mightily (not mightily at all) as I whirled around, and tried to snatch it back.

"Sorry, sorry." He put his hands up and dropped it. "I'm Luke. Son of Hermes. It's only natural for me to steal things." He sent me a laidback smile. Zoe Nightshade's words rang in my head. _Don't trust anyone. _I still held my darts shakily in boney fingertips.

He seemed like he wasn't exactly talking to me, but someone far far away. "I'm not evil anymore. In fact, I never _was _purposely evil. Isn't that enough?"

"I don't understand..." I glanced at him, his eyes like a lake you could stare into, yet never see your own reflection. He was nothing more than a shell of a person. "...but I don't see why it shouldn't be enough." That brought him back to Earth...or at least this stratosphere. We exchanged questions and stories for some time.

"You need to hurry. The underworld is going crazy lately." Luke seemed worried, but not about me, about the world. "We can't let history repeat itself..."

And that's when something fell from the sky.

I jumped back in surprise, and Luke just stared at it. The object looked like a pair of 'Converse high tops' as I was later told, the color of a navy dusk sky. Had they fallen from a telephone wire?

Luke told me otherwise. "These shoes are from some Greek god. I've seen them before. They can lead you to the Doors of Orpheus. Just slip them on, and they will fly you there." He said, certain, color starting to return to his face.

I picked them up, examining them, wondering if this was some sort of test. There was a tag on it. "From Hermes." I read slowly to him.

There was a long pause from Luke, some sort of smile playing on his lips. The gears started going in his head, and all at once, he seemed to be in the present. "It's about time. I've got something to do."

Then he gazed at me, as if he were a leader deciding what to do with a follower. After that, he didn't say anything. Luke was just quickly swallowed in a crowd of New Yorkers before I could do anything. That was on purpose. He was clever when he was okay.

Left alone, caution prevented me from putting the shoes on. I could feel time ticking down like a child of Hades might feel a heartbeat fading though. Eventually, I had no choice. I was beginning to slip them on. That's when I heard an urgent yell.

"STOP!"

* * *

**Flint Shaden**

Nixon's words were directed at Regina, but he managed to piss me off in the process. Story of my life.

"He's unbelievable." That was all I needed to say. Two words could get a message across if you were listening hard enough.

She laughed bitterly in response. "You know how they say telling the truth makes you feel better? That's not true." She had this impenetrable wall where she pretended she couldn't care less.

I was about to start my mini-rant racing in my head, but she spoke before I could. "Look, don't worry about it, Flint. You worry about _everything. _It would be seriously insulting for you to think _I _needed _your _help." It was a very good thing I wasn't sensitive. "Let's just find the freaking drama king."

"Find him?" I asked incredulously. "Why in the world would you want to _find him_ after that!?"

"We need the quest to be finished with him." She reminded me calmly.

It took all I had to not lose it there. Why was she thinking practical for the one time I was not? She thought too clearly. It was eerie.

Luckily, we didn't find Nixon. Personally, I was half expecting the party ponies to trot in to celebrate. Am I being cruel? Maybe. But I didn't get to see behind the scenes, to see what was really going on. All I saw was my rival yelling at my 'friend'-who-hates-me to rot in tartarus. In that moment, I was in a rage; one I could justify and not justify at the same time.

What we did find though was Hades's palace. It was hard to miss, with faces filled with regret and sorrow painted as a mural on the front. It looked like me. "Here's the lair of evil."

"Does 'the lair of evil' usually have a pink door?" Regina questioned as we stepped on the front porch. She was right. The door was pink.

I raised an eyebrow. "Not the color I'd go for."

"No, you would go for black." She agreed sarcastically.

I already went through this with you guys. I'm not black-obsessed. People can't see the difference from black and dark grey, apparently. "Well navy is alright. Silver is okay. And crimson is-"

"Flint. Shut up. I know you're trying to stall meeting your dad."

I looked down. "He's not _just _my dad. He abducted his wife, neglected his children, won the award for worst father after Kronos, attacked all of- "

Her knocking on the door cut me off.

"That was cold." I commented flatly.

Regina snorted. "You're one to talk about cold. Plus, did you expect me to stand there, listening to you spouting random adjectives, just so you'd avoid-"

At first when the door opened, I thought there was a satyr. Actually, it was a goat, not at all mythological for once. Why was it there? And why was it carrying a tray of cookies on its back?

"Wow. I never knew the phrase, 'join the dark side, we have cookies' was real." Regina commented, about to take one.

I sent the tray flying. "Those will obviously be poisonous or explosives." I told her.

"Now, now," a foreign voice said in the shadows. We stiffened. It was _way _too high to be my dad's. "That's no way to treat a welcome gift." In the doorframe, there was a young woman way too beautiful to be real. Then I remembered the goat was a symbolic animal of Aphrodite. Damn it.

* * *

**Rilo Ward**

I looked up sharply in the direction of the voice.

"No! You'll be dragged into the pit of Tartarus! Trust me, you _do not _want to go there!" Someone kept yelling about things that made no sense. "Ghost-pepper-fire-water!" he'd shout. "Stomping on Tartarus's heart! Spiders! Bob and kittens!

I didn't understand what he meant, but he seemed flustered enough that I listened. Standing above me, his face was one of undeniable trouble, his aura one of undisputable power.

I almost had the shoes off, but ended up _taking off _into the air. The boy launched water from a fountain somehow, but instead of dragging me back to solid land, he ended up going flying with me.

His eyes were wide with surprise, but he seemed to find humor in the situation. "Luke...That kid never gives up."

I didn't know how he maintained his calm, or why he didn't let me face my doom, or how I got betrayed. I had to come up with a plan though. I had to save us. Not because this boy could not, but because my pride could not take another seat on the sidelines. "The darts!" I exclaimed.

"Um…" the boy's face creased in confusion as he was trying to get the water to work with him. "I would want to hit Luke with darts too. It's a real blast, almost as fun as defeating Furies with a magic pen. But I don't think right now we should be-"

"Watch." I stabbed the shoes with a paralyzer dart. They stopped moving! I felt so triumphant, like my stomach was dropping and…oh. Oh, sorry. That was because we were falling from countless feet in the air.

Water from the teen's powers broke our fall. I was soaked, but the boy was completely dry, as if his sea-green-eyes absorbed all the color of the ocean, but nothing else on him did. He looked at the giant doors in front of us. "Hey, it's the underworld entrance." He noticed with a joking thumbs up. "Fun. ...But please don't tell me you're going in there on some death wish mission."

I smiled sheepishly. He got the idea, sighing.

Soon enough, he was Iris messaging his girlfriend. "Heh…hi Annabeth!"

An almost-golden-but-lighter-from-the-sun-haired girl seemed to be at a restroom sink. "Percy! I've been waiting at the movie theater for the past millennia!" Then her eyes turned dangerously stormy as she craned her neck to see the background.

Percy groaned. "She has the _I'm-planning-something _look." He said under his breath, quickly moving in attempt to block her view. "Nothing to see here. It's only the-"

"The doors of Orpheus!?" she exclaimed. "You wouldn't be thinking of…oh, I don't know…going in there, would you?" Her voice was filled with venom only created by fear of losing him. I could tell she already knew the answer, and didn't like it.

"C'mon, Annabeth! The movies are boring anyway! A walk through the Underworld could be…you know, like a horror show! And the monsters are 3D. We can't leave this girl to die...!" he said with a pleading smile.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you about the quest back at camp."

"What!?" Percy began asking questions, but his girlfriend cut him off.

"I'll be there in a couple minutes."

The son of Poseidon and I agreed on playing the music box. The doors opened, and I felt the pull of darkness, both figuratively and literally.

"Good luck." Percy told me, "And this isn't the last you'll see of me, for sure. The same goes for you, vice versa. Honestly…I'm getting too old for this." He was young though, probably eighteen. "But I guess beating up some monsters never gets old after all." He grinned.

Somehow, Percy vaguely reminded me of Luke. There was a darkness they shared left by life experience, but it was overtaken by their smiles. And both of them were good people. Luke had been honest, after all.

I posed the question to myself that the world seemed to base its survival on: Darkness, or love? I saw the storm-cloud-colored-eyed girl running up to the doors, the two of them hugging. That was the last thing in my view before I was sucked into the underworld.

…Darkness called me. But maybe I'd choose love.

* * *

**Flint Shaden**

"I didn't know Hades was a girl." Regina said cynically, cracking her knuckles.

"I didn't know the goddess of love would be in the underworld." I replied in a matching tone. Part of me was relieved my dad wasn't there. However, I _hated_ Aphrodite with a passion.

"Don't scowl at me like that!" she said to me with a hypnotizing smile.

I didn't listen. I had plenty of reason to scowl at her. For the love Nico had been given for someone he'd never have, for all the outcasts that got rejected, and for the people that couldn't possibly be loved at all…like me. She was evil.

I shifted my gaze, glaring at the floor. Honestly, she was stunning. It grossed me out though that her demeanor was like Nixon's, only in girl goddess form. That was definitely not attractive.

"Oh well!" Aphrodite said cheerfully, over it, clapping her hands in apparent excitement. "I'll forgive you, son of Hades."

"Flint Shaden." I warned. "My name is Flint Shaden." I hated only being recognized for my dad.

"After all," completely ignoring me, she continued, "if I decided to give you a love story, it could pan out quite interestingly! You're stiff and empty. What would happen!?"

I didn't want to know. "I don't want a love story. All I've ever wanted is to be left alone."

Aphrodite smiled wickedly, as if to say, 'which is exactly why I'll make your life miserable and give you one!'.

"Oh," the goddess of love added. "And let's not forget Regina! There's a special guy waiting for yooooou!" She said in a singsong voice.

The redhead seemed to be holding back her gag reflex. "Ew. Just ew. Hell no. Can we please end this torture?"

"Yeah. Can we get onto why you're actually here? And where is my dad?" I asked impatiently.

"Flint, Flint, Flint," she chided, shaking her head. "I promised to keep that a secret! I can't go back on that, can I?"

I almost agreed with her to wait, in a stupid hormonal trance. Cut me some slack. It was the magic she used, okay? If she could appear to be the most beautiful person beyond your imagination, wouldn't you have trouble focusing?

Of course, that's when Nixon walked in. "Ooooh, that's awkward: Flint eyeing my mom. Creepy."

He was calling _me _perverted? How ironic. Then I got to thinking, 'Wait a second. How, exactly, does he have no reaction that Aphrodite is here? Did he know this would happen?'. I put my hand on the hilt of my hidden spear. For a moment, I really was convinced he was ambushing us. I wouldn't put it past Nixon.

But then he spoke. "Whoa, whoa, _whoa. _Cool your jets!" he said, noticing my stance. "Hear me out. So. This is what happened…" He launched theatrically into a tale about how his mom had said he was a cheater and turned him into a ghost, adding that he didn't want to see her. "She'd robbed girls' precious opportunities to see my face!" He'd exclaimed. "Selfish of her, right?"

The thing that angered me the most: he clearly thought nothing was wrong with what he'd done, keeping that information secret. Do you know that the attitude of lacking empathy and remorse is a sign of being a psychopath? Are you sure that's a _coincidence_?

Regina was angrier with the goddess though. "Why are you turning people into ghosts for infidelity!? I mean, aren't _you _the one that controls love, or lust, or whatever?"

Seriously…Regina had no concept of 'crossing the line'. There was no line in her head. She could insult an all-powerful goddess just as easily as she could insult a normal enemy. Which was both impressive and highly annoying.

Aphrodite burst into tears. Nixon gave the punk girl a look, as if to say, 'smooth, you made my mom cry'. In other words, we were in danger. "Ares broke up with me! That's why all the unfaithful men and women, all that lead people on, should be cursed to never lay a hand on anyone again!" she spat.

"You even turned your own son into a ghost for it!?" Regina asked incredulously, still new to the fact all godly parents practically sucked.

"He prevented my Thalico romance too!" Aphrodite accused.

"…Thalico?" she questioned.

Yeah, what in Hades was 'Thalico'?

"Oh," she sobbed, "Thalia and Nico romance."

For some reason, Regina stiffened, but recovered.

"That never would of worked!" Nixon exclaimed/wrote. "Thalia is a huntress! And Nico is…" I glared at him in warning. "Well Nico is just Nico!"

For once, I agreed with him. Thalico would not have worked.

So that was the truth? I thought that it'd be as simple as reasoning with the goddess to let the cursed go, to change them back. That was naïve.

Steps clicked in the distance, a voice filling the room. I saw his shadow before I saw him. "Allow me to plot twist this simple little story."

My body filled with dread, resentment, and hate. It was the wife abductor, the children neglector, part of the Big Three. Hades. The Greek god of the Underworld.

Dad.

* * *

**Picture or Quote that Reminded me of the Story:**

Because Percy and Luke have been through way more than the average eighteen year old...

Quote: And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years. –Abraham Lincoln


End file.
